Once in A Blue Moon
by Sage Londyn
Summary: Collab with Miss E Charlotte. -Teagan moves back to Beacon Hills and is reunited with her best friend Avery. The friends start their sophomore year of school and soon find out they are dealing with far more than just average teenage problems. Follow them on their journey and trials of friendship, love, and the supernatural Isaac/OC/Jackson triangle and Stiles/OC/Derek triangle.
1. Once in a Blue Moon

**Once in a Blue Moon – Chapter 1**

"_I'll be waiting, I'll be watching under a blue moon. The taste of heaven only happens once in a blue moon. Do you remember when the wind blew free and we fit together so naturally? If the wind closes a door, it will open another." ~ Once in a Blue Moon, by: Sydney Forrest_

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

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"Another black shirt?" Lydia questioned as she looked to her friend Avery, they were shopping for school clothes in the mall.

"Why did you say it like that?" Avery asked her with a slight frown.

"Everything you've bought for school this year has been so dark; it's all almost black or just black." Lydia pointed out as she waved a hand to the bags from other stores containing Avery's clothes.

"I like bold, dark colors Lydia." She said with a small sigh.

"But that's all you wear." Lydia continued.

"Because I like it." Avery responded.

"Okay… I'll shut up." Lydia mumbled as she checked the time on her phone.

"Jackson's done with his shopping and ready to meet at the food court." Lydia said as she started for the cash register.

After paying for their clothes they headed out to their parked cars.

Lydia loaded her bags into Jackson's Porsche and Avery put her bags in her own car, then they headed back inside to the food court.

As they sat at a table eating their food, Avery said "Did I tell you guys Teagan's coming back home?"

"Teagan Young?" Lydia asked.

"Have we ever even known another Teagan?" Avery asked with a small laugh.

"Is she moving back for good, or just coming to visit?" Jackson asked, trying not to seem too interested in the topic.

He and Teagan had dated for 2 years before her family moved away when she was 14.

Her moving away was really the only reason they'd broken up.

Lydia glanced over at him, but didn't say anything.

"She's moving back for good." Avery explained as she took a drink of her soda.

"I haven't talked to her since she moved." Lydia chimed in.

"We've kept in contact." Avery said.

"Why is she moving back?" Jackson asked taking a bite of his pizza.

"Her mom died." She answered her voice quiet.

"Is Teagan okay?" He continued to ask questions

"Her mother died, Jackson… of course she's not okay." Lydia said with a slight eye roll.

"She's holding up pretty well." Avery admitted.

"How did she die?" Lydia asked.

"An animal attack." She said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and dropped it in her plate, unable to stomach anymore of her food thinking about her friend's mom.

"That's really random." Lydia said as she shook her head.

Jackson stayed quiet, he couldn't admit it in front of Lydia but he was happy at the idea of seeing Teagan again.

The group of 4 had been really good friends before Teagan's family left Beacon Hills.

"So, when is she coming back?" Jackson asked.

"Sometime today, she might even already be here." Avery replied.

"Why?" Lydia asked, looking to her boyfriend.

"I was just wondering if she'd be back for the start of school." Jackson brushed off her question.

"It's not like she's going to be in class right away, her mom just died." Lydia snapped.

"Actually, her mom died a little while ago. They're coming back and having a small service to bury her mom's ashes here in Beacon Hills." Avery corrected.

"Do you think we should go, be there for support?" Jackson asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Lydia asked as she looked over at him.

Avery glanced around the full food court and then down to her food tray, she didn't like it when her friends argued.

"You haven't seen in her like 2 years…and now all of a sudden you want to step up and be her best friend?" Lydia continued to say, her voice almost sounded like she was scolding him.

"Doesn't matter anyways, she and her dad just want a small private family gathering for the service. I don't think we should all just show up or anything, they need some space." Avery said, hoping to end their bickering.

"Exactly, god Jackson." Lydia said angrily.

"Exactly? You didn't know that, you haven't talked to her in over 2 years either." He shot back at her.

"Are you done eating? You look like you're done." Lydia said as she stacked her tray on top of his.

"what the hell?" He asked angrily.

"We're leaving. Bye Avery." Lydia said as she stood up, grabbing onto Jackson's arm.

"Later guys." She called after them.

Avery sighed and looked down to their 3 food trays.

"Yeah, go ahead guys… it's cool, I'll play janitor and clean up everyone's trash." She mumbled as she grabbed their trays and headed to the trashcan.

**~()~()~()~**

Teagan rested her head against the window and glanced out as her dad, Paul, drove into the town of Beacon Hills. A small smile appeared on her face for a moment as she watched the familiar landmarks fly by.

After losing her mom, Lisa, and moving back to her old hometown, it was nice to see that nothing had changed in the two years since she had been gone. She wasn't sure if she could handle any more changes in her life.

"It's good to be back home huh, kiddo?" Paul asked, as he glanced over at his daughter.

Teagan looked away from the window and turned her head to answer her dad, but before she could say a word they heard a bark from the backseat.

"Sounds like Aspen is happy to be back." Teagan said, as she glanced back to look at her white husky.

"I think this is a good move for us, coming back home, I think it's what your mom would want." Paul said, his voice cracking with emotion as he thought about his deceased wife.

She nodded her head in agreement, but didn't say anything as she turned her head to look back out the window.

Paul watched her out of the corner of his eye. He hated seeing his little girl sad, but had no idea how to make things right.

That was always Lisa's job, she was always great at cheering Teagan and even him up if he had a bad day at work.

It was hard to be down in the dumps around Lisa. Her smile could brighten anyone's day and anytime she laughed, you just had to laugh with her, her laughter was contagious.

He tried to put his wife out of his mind, not because he wanted to forget her but because a month later it still hurt too much to think about her. Right now he needed to be strong and help his daughter through this rough time.

Paul cleared his throat hoping to get rid of the lump in it as he parked the SUV behind a moving van then said, "Ok, we're here."

Teagan looked up at the two story house and was relieved to see that her dad had bought a new house instead of trying to get their old house back. She knew she wouldn't have been able to live in that house with all the memories of her mom floating around.

"What do you think?" Paul asked her, hoping she was happy with it.

"It's beautiful, Dad." Teagan answered as she turned to look at him with a small smile on her face.

"Great!" Paul said smiling back then added, "Let's go unpack then."

A few hours later, after getting all the furniture set up and all the boxes inside the house, Teagan took a quick shower then pulled out the first black dress she could find.

Moments later, after being fully dressed, she walked down the stairs with Aspen following along behind her; he had always been like her shadow, following her around where ever she went.

The two walked into the living room, where Paul was standing near the fireplace looking at the urn that held his wife's ashes.

He was in his trademark suit and tie like he would usually wear to work at the law office, but this time instead of going to work; they were going to the cemetery to bury the urn for a small private funeral service.

To some people it might seem silly to bury an urn, but he knew it was what Lisa would have wanted, just like he knew she wouldn't want a public funeral, he knew she would want it to be just him, Teagan and Aspen.  
Teagan stood in the doorway and watched her father who had his back to her as he softly stroked the urn as if he was saying good-bye one last time. She thought about leaving the room to give him privacy, but before she could take a step back Aspen quietly whimpered before making his way over to Paul as if he knew his master needed him.

Paul quickly wiped his face then turned around to face her with a fake smile on his face. He petted Aspen on top of the head as he said, "Hey Sweet Tea, you ready?"

She couldn't help but smile at the old childhood nickname then said, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Many minutes later, Paul, Teagan and Aspen stood together in front of Lisa's grave. The only other person allowed at the funeral was a preacher who stood with them long enough to say a few kind words and a quick prayer before leaving them alone for a moment to say good-bye to their loving wife and mother.

After they were done, Paul told her he was going to go thank the preacher then they could go home.

As Teagan waited, she decided to walk Aspen around since she could tell he was getting antsy. She walked him toward the back of the cemetery, away from all the tombstones. Even though he was a good dog and usually wouldn't mess with things she didn't want to take any chances.

She held on to the leash as he sniffed at the ground and pulled her toward a small building where she guessed the caretaker kept all the equipment.

She pulled on the leash and turned around to pull him in the opposite direction away from the building. She had only taken a few steps when she heard him bark happily then pull away, ripping the leash out of her hand as he ran back toward the building.

"Aspen, no!" Teagan called out, as she saw him running toward a guy around her age, who had just stepped out of the building.

Aspen had never bit anyone in his life, he had always been a very friendly dog but she still ran over toward him and the guy just in case. By the time she made it over to them, the guy was squatted down in front of Aspen as he petted him.

"I'm sorry about that." Teagan said, as soon as she reached them.

She quickly grabbed the leash to try and pull him away from the guy.

"It's ok. He's a nice dog." He said, as he reached out to pet the happy dog a few more times.

"Yeah, he pretty much loves everyone unless someone tries to mess with me then he can get mean. He's more overprotective of me than my dad." Teagan said with a small laugh.

At hearing her laugh. Isaac felt a tingle down his spine, he recognized that laugh. It was a laugh he had not heard in a couple of years, but it was a laugh he had hoped and prayed to hear again one day.

He took a deep breath, hoping to control his racing heart, then finally looked up to see her beautiful face. She had not changed much in the two years since the last he saw her. She looked a little more grown up or maybe it was just the way she was dressed and the way she had her brown hair pulled back. But she still had the same wide brown eyes and cute smile that always made him smile back.

"Teagan?" Isaac asked. He just had to make sure this was real, that she really was back right in front of him.

"Yeah?" She said back.

Isaac smiled, excited to see her again. He couldn't help but stare at her as he tried to think of something to say next, but unfortunately his mind went blank.

She looked at the smiling boy before her and tried to place him. He looked familiar but she couldn't think of his name and felt bad about it. It was clear to see that he knew her, she felt embarrassed that she didn't remember him.

"I'm sorry, it's been awhile since I've been back to town. Do I know you?" Teagan asked him.

"We um, we went to school together." Isaac answered, trying not to feel disappointed that she didn't remember him, although he wasn't surprised.

She was part of the popular crowd when she lived there and he wasn't. He always knew she never noticed him, but that didn't stop him from having a huge crush on her.  
"I'm Isaac." He answered as he held out his hand for her to shake, then silently cursed himself for doing something as dorky as try to shake her hand.

"Teagan," She said back with a smile as she placed her hand in his to shake it, then added with a small laugh, "but you already knew that, sorry."

"So are you visiting or..." Isaac began to ask.

"Me and my dad are moving back." Teagan answered, then added sadly, "my mom died so we thought it would help to come back home."

"That's good." Isaac said, happy to hear she was coming back. Then when he realized what she said, he quickly added, "I'm sorry. I-I mean, it's not good about your mom, but it's good that you are back. It probably will help."

"I hope so. It'll be good to see my old friends and all." Teagan said, then added with a smile, "and maybe make some new ones."

Isaac smiled at her words, hoping that she meant him, but didn't want to get his hopes up. He opened his mouth to say something else but before he could, they heard someone call out her name.

"That's my dad, I got to go. But I'll see you at school Isaac." Teagan said with a small wave, as she turned around to walk away and meet back up with Paul.

"See you, Teagan." Isaac said back, but she was too far away to hear it. Unfortunately for him, someone did over hear it and the whole conversation, his dad.

"Don't get your hopes up son. You can never get a girl like that." Mr. Lahey said with a laugh, as walked past him with a slap on his back causing Isaac to hiss out in pain when his dad hit an old bruise.

He knew his dad was right, he wasn't stupid, he knew he couldn't get Teagan, but just knowing she was back in town for good was like a dream come true for him.

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**A/N- I really hope that everyone liked the first chapter! This is our 2****nd**** collaboration and we're having a ton of fun writing it. ^_^**

**Please check out Miss E Charlotte's page on here, she's an amazing writer with stories for Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf and Sons of Anarchy.**

**On both of our profile pages are links to our Polyvore accounts where we post sets and banners to go along with our stories.**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support so much. ^_^**


	2. The Raven

**The Raven – ****Chapter 2**

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Teagan nervously flipped the visor down in her dad's car and checked her make up as her dad pulled up outside of the school.

"You sure you're up for this? When I re-enrolled you, the principal said that he understood if you'd need a few days off." Her dad, Paul said.

"No, I need to get back out there. And it will do me some good to see my old friends, plus I'm pretty sure Avery has probably already told everyone I'm back." She said with a small laugh.

Her dad nodded and smiled at his daughter. He hoped that moving back to the town she had grown up in would help get some normality back in the 16 year olds life.

"I don't have to be in the office until this afternoon, so if you need anything just call me." He said.

"I will, thanks dad. I love you." She said as she opened the door and got out.

"Love you too." He called after her.

Taking a deep breath she looked down to her purple shirt and white jeans, mentally preparing herself to see everyone again.

**~()~**

"Normally I'd tell you to add some color to your outfit, but you look good." Lydia said a she looked over to Avery.

She looked down to her black dress, "thanks I think…" She replied with a slightly confused look.

"You're welcome, and yes it was a compliment." Lydia said nodding.

"I thought Teagan was back." She said, glancing over at her.

Avery nodded, "Her dad was bringing her to school today."

Just a few moments later Teagan approached them.

"Hey guys." She said, managing a brave smile.

"Hey!" Avery yelled with a wide smile as she rushed forward and hugged her.

Teagan smiled as she warmly returned the hug.

"I'm glad your back!" Lydia said as she stepped up for her hug.

Hugging her back Teagan said, "it's so good to see you guys again, I've missed you."

"You're all grown up!" Lydia exclaimed as her eyes traced Teagan form fitting clothes.

"It's only been 2 years…" She said with a little laugh.

Looking between her old friends Teagan said, "You both look so great."

The girls talked for a little longer before Lydia excused herself to get to class.

"I can't wait to catch up more, but I've got chemistry first and the only good thing about Mr. Harris' class is we can pick our own seats." Avery said.

After making a quick stop at her locker Avery walked into her first period class.

Her eyes scanned the room until she saw Danny.

"Hey Danny." She said with a friendly smile as she sat down at the lab table beside him.

"Hey, Jackson told me that Teagan is back in town." He said looking over at her.

"Yeah, she's back." She nodded.

"He talked about her all morning." Danny said with raised eyebrows.

"When I first told him he kept asking me about her… in front of Lydia." Avery explained.

"Oh wow, I bet that went over well." Danny said with a laugh.

"While you've all proven you can seat yourselves before the late bell, everyone needs to get up." Mr. Harris said as he closed the classroom door.

Slowly everyone stood from their seats.

"I'm assigning seats this year." He announced.

A low groan went through the classroom as everyone looked around wondering who they would be stuck with as a lab partner.

Avery crossed her fingers hoping she'd get to stay next to Danny, since he was the only real friend she had in the class.

Pointing to a back corner table, Mr. Harris said, "And in this corner: Mr. Stilinski and… Miss Dukate."

She stood still hoping she'd heard him wrong.

Stiles' eyes widened as he looked over at Avery and headed to their table.

"Did the summer weaken your hearing, Miss Dukate?" Mr. Harris asked as he pointed to the table again.

Sighing she picked up her book bag and slowly crossed the room, her black heels clicking on the tile floor.

"You look great, I really like the new look… it's darker, it fits you." Stiles stumbled over his words as he looked at her.

"Are you saying I'm a dark person?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Me? No, of course not. I just meant you look really nice." He quickly said.

"Whatever…" She breathed out with a small sigh of irritation.

As their assignments were passed out she handed him his paper.

"Raven?" He asked.

"What?" She asked as she wrote her name down on her paper.

"I said Raven." He repeated.

"Are you kidding me? My name is Avery, not Raven you idiot." She said, looking at him in disbelief.

She had always been popular, and she was used to not paying attention to other student's names. But everyone always knew her name.

"No, I know your name is Avery… I was talking about your tattoo." Stiles said nodding to her left wrist.

She looked down where the word '_Nevermore' _was tattooed along with a small black crow perched on the top of the letter N.

She laughed.

"Now who's the idiot?" She mumbled to herself.

He looked around awkwardly.

He had always liked her, but had never really gotten the chance to talk to her.

Every time he had tried before, she ignored him and walked away.

"Edgar Allen Poe, right? The Raven, that's what it's from?" He asked, wanting to keep talking to her.

She nodded as she pulled out her phone to see if she had any new texts.

"So uh, your parent's sign a waiver since your under 18?" He asked.

"No, I did it myself." She said, nonchalantly.

"you… did that yourself?" He repeated.

"Yeah, I put the design on my wrist with ink and then used a sewing needle to push it under my skin." She said stifling a laugh.

"You stuck yourself with a needle… like over a hundred times?" He asked staring at her.

"More like over a thousand." She corrected as she displayed her inner wrist for him to see again.

"Didn't it bleed?" He asked, his voice squeaking a little.

"Oh yeah. At first I wasn't sure how far to push the needle in so I dug too deep. There was blood everywhere." she said, as she looked back down to her school paper.

"That's… cool. It looks really good…" He said, as his face went a little pale.

"You kind of look like you're going to pass out." She observed.

"Me? No… I'm good." He said, still feeling sick to his stomach.

"I was joking… I'm not a glutton for self-inflicted pain. My dad signed a waiver for me to get it for my birthday over the summer." She said, finally letting out the laugh she had been holding back.

After a few moments he laughed and said, "Then why did you make that up?"

"Honestly? I kind of like to freak people out." She admitted.

"That didn't freak me out… in fact I could tell you something that would freak you out." He said, laying his pencil down.

"Try me." She challenged as she laid her own pen down and looked at him.

"Last night, I was in the woods… looking for the other half of a body the police found." He admitted to her.

"Impressive." She said with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, thrown off by her reaction.

"Did you find it? Were the organs just like hanging out of it?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of him.

He shifted uncomfortably, "No, my dad caught me before I could find it."

"Shame." She responded.

"you're not freaked out?" He asked.

"A dead body cut in half? No that doesn't freak me out." She said picking her pencil back up and looking down to her paper.

He continued to stare at her.

He thought he liked her before, but now that he was actually getting to talk to her he was even more drawn to her.

"You know what does freak me out?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Puppies and kittens?" He asked.

"It freaks me out to think about what they cut the body in half with? A sword, chainsaw? Freaks me out even more to wonder if the person was alive when they were cut in half." She said.

He nodded, "Uh, yeah… that is an unsettling thought."

As she went back to working on her paper, he smiled to himself at their conversation. She was nothing like how he'd expected her to be.

**~(~)~**

As the bell rang signaling the start of lunch, Teagan made her way toward her locker to change out her books and take a few breaths. She had really enjoyed catching up with her old friends and even though she appreciated everyone's condolences, she wasn't sure how many more times she could hear 'I'm sorry' before she screamed.

She was in the middle of reaching into her locker when she heard someone walk up behind her and even though it had been two years since he was in her presence she knew without turning around that it was Jackson behind her.

"I'm sorry about your mom." Jackson said softly as he took a step closer to her.

Teagan closed her locker then turned around to face him, surprised that he was standing so close to her. She bit her bottom lip then glanced around the empty hallway.

Even if she was a little hurt to know that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, she wasn't the type to mess with a friend's boyfriend.

"Thanks." She said, as she took a few steps to the side to put some distance between them.

Jackson walked toward her again then reached forward to push a lock of hair behind her ear, causing her heart to jump just like it always did when he would do that. He smiled as he watched her eyelashes fluttering before she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. God, he had missed her.

"You look good." Jackson said, as his eyes explored her face.

At hearing his voice, she snapped her eyes open and took a quick step back. She couldn't do this; she couldn't be close to him like this again. They were not together and he was with Lydia now, he wasn't hers anymore.

"You should go find your girlfriend." Teagan suggested, as she turned around to walk away.

She tried her best to put Jackson out of her mind as she made her way to the cafeteria. She grabbed a pre-made salad and a bottle of water then glanced around looking for a friendly face. When she saw Avery sitting alone, staring off at something, she made her way toward the table and sat down beside her with a small smile.

Even after sitting down beside her, Avery still didn't look away from whatever she was looking at. With her eyebrows lowered in confusion, Teagan glanced over in the area that she was looking in but all she saw were two guys.

One with a buzzed cut, who was talking lively about something while the other one shook his head, like he didn't agree with whatever his friend was saying.

"Which one are you staring at?" Teagan asked. When her friend didn't answer, she waved a hand in front of her face then said, "hello, earth to A, do you copy?"

"What?" Avery asked as she turned to look at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"I said which one are you staring at?" Teagan asked again.

"What? Who? No one." Avery stuttered out.

"If I had to guess I would say it is the short haired one." Teagan said, as she opened her bottle of water and took a sip before adding, "if I remember right you did always like guys with super short hair."

"I'm not staring at Stiles." Avery said, as she rolled her eyes.

"Aw you know his name. It must be love." Teagan teased; she had honestly missed this, joking and laughing with her best friend.

"I only know his stupid name cause he is my lab partner." Avery explained, she was actually surprised that she had remembered his name, but she had to admit after their talk in chemistry, she found him a tiny bit interesting.

"Uh-huh, sure." Teagan said with a laugh.

"Anyway, how is your first day back at the big bad Beacon Hills High going?" Avery asked, changing the subject.

"It's ok. Everyone seems happy to have me back." Teagan answered, then added quietly for only her to hear, "I saw Jackson a little bit ago."

"How did that go?" Avery asked, as she shot her a concerned look. From them keeping in touch she knew that a part of Teagan still loved Jackson and had missed him, but with him being with Lydia now she knew that bothered her.

"It's Jackson. How do you think it went?" Teagan said back with a sigh.

Avery groaned then said, "I swear I am going to slap that boy in the head or something. The last thing you need right now is him starting drama."

"It's ok." Teagan said.

"No, it's not ok." Avery argued back, then said, "I'll have a talk with Jackson, don't worry."

"Seriously Avery, it's ok. You don't have to say anything. I guess he was just happy to see me but he has moved on and everything is ok." Teagan said back, as she stabbed a piece of lettuce with a plastic fork.

Avery sighed as she watched her friend; it was plain to see that neither one had really moved on but, the bottom line was Jackson was with someone new and she was not going to let him play around with her two best friend's feelings.

If he was going to be with Lydia then he needed to leave Teagan alone or vice versa. She opened her mouth to speak her thoughts out loud but before she could say a word, she heard Lydia call out her name as she and another girl walked over toward them.

"Hey guys, this is Allison. She's new." Lydia said.

After Avery and Teagan gave the new girl a friendly greeting, Lydia pointed at them and added, "and this is Avery and Teagan. Teagan just moved back to town cause her mom died."

"Wow, nice Lydia." Avery said sarcastically.

"What? It's true." Lydia pointed out, as she sat in front of Avery and Allison sat in front of Teagan.

"I know, but you don't have to just come out with it. It's not your place to say anything." Avery argued.

As Lydia argued back, Allison looked at Teagan and said softly, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Teagan said, as she dropped her fork on top of her uneaten salad; she had suddenly lost her appetite.

While her two friends were still arguing and the new girl was looking around Teagan thought about slipping away, but before she could make a move, she heard someone call out her name and smiled when she noticed it was Danny.

She quickly stood up from the table and gave him a big hug, trying to avoid Jackson, who was standing behind Danny.

"It is so good to have you back." Danny said, as he hugged her tightly.

"I think I missed you most of all scarecrow." Teagan joked, as she stepped back from the hug.

"Welcome back to Oz, T." Danny joked back.

Teagan threw her head back and laughed then leaned forward to hug him again. She had really missed Danny, they had always had a lot of good laughs while hanging out.

"Yeah, welcome back." Jackson mumbled like he could care less if she was back or not as he brushed past her and Danny. He sat down beside Lydia then without a word leaned forward and began to kiss her.

Teagan glanced away from the kissing couple and felt eyes on her. Avery, Danny and even the new girl were staring at her like they were waiting for her to react.

After the way Jackson was acting, all the pity looks and the fact that she was still healing from losing her mom, she suddenly felt like she the room was closing in on her and she needed room to breathe.  
"You-you know, I just remembered I need to go to my locker before next class." Teagan lied, as she gathered up her stuff as fast as she could, needing to get out of the cafeteria before she fell apart.

"You need me to come with you?" Avery asked, feeling concern for her friend.

"No, I-I'm good. Just finish your lunch. I'll see you later." Teagan said, as she rushed away from the table.

She tossed her lunch in the trash and rushed into the hallway. She glanced behind her for a second, making sure no one was following her then just to make sure no one could find her, she rushed over to the first door she saw and jerked it open, rushing inside.

She gasped in surprise when she saw Isaac standing in front of a sink washing his hands. As if things weren't bad enough, now she had accidentally went into the boy's restroom. At least Isaac was the only one in the room and he was only washing his hands, not doing something else, but she was still embarrassed and felt her face heat up as it became harder and harder to breathe.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong?" Isaac asked, as he rushed toward her.

"I-I-I can't br-breathe." Teagan choked out, as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"It's ok. Teagan, it's ok, just open your eyes and look at me." Isaac said, as he stood beside her. He waited until she opened her eyes and looked at him then he said, "ok good, now just take a deep breath."

"I c-c-can't." Teagan cried, as she slid down the wall.

Isaac squatted down with her and was at a loss on what to do as more tears fell down her face. But he knew he had to do something, he had to help her somehow, then it hit him. He knew what to do, he had to distract her.

"Hey, um, do you know why fish are so smart?" Isaac asked her. She shot him a confused look as she shook her head, wondering what that question had to do with anything.

A second later, he smiled then said, "because they live in schools."

Teagan softly chuckled at the joke then after taking a deep breath said, "that was so lame Isaac."

"I know." He admitted, then added, "but it got you to calm down and breathe."

She looked over at him and smiled when she realized he was right. She took a deep breath then slowly released it before saying softly, "Thank you Isaac."

He smiled back and nodded his head, as if to say 'you're welcome', then he held out a hand to help her stand up.

Once she was on her feet, she pulled her hand back then said, "I'm sorry. That's never happened before. I honestly felt like I couldn't breathe, like my throat was closing up or something and I just needed to get away but it felt like..."

"The room was closing in on you and you felt like you were going to die." Isaac said, interrupting her.

"Yeah, exactly." Teagan said, then asked, "how did you know?"

"After my uh, my brother died. I use to get panic attacks a lot." Isaac said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Teagan said on instinct. Then once she realized what she said, she sighed then added, "and I'm sorry for saying that. Trust me I know how tiring it is to hear 'I'm sorry' over and over again. I mean don't get me wrong I appreciate it and I really am sorry about your brother, but I'm really starting to hate the word 'sorry'."

Isaac nodded his head, knowing exactly what she meant, then said, "I also got tired of hearing, 'are you ok?' all the time."

"Me too." Teagan said, then shot him a smile as she said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Isaac asked confused.

"For helping me just now and for not saying 'I'm sorry' or asking if I am ok since I got back to town." She said, then added, "I do appreciate the concern from everyone, I really do, but sometimes it's nice having a conversation that doesn't start with 'I'm sorry' or 'are you ok?', followed by the look." She paused for a moment then explained when she saw the confused expression on his face, "The pity look. I hate the pity look."

Isaac chuckled and nodded his head as he said, "Yeah, I hate that look too."

She smiled as she watched him laugh and couldn't help but notice how cute he looked as he laughed or even smiled. She had never really noticed him before in the past, but she was definitely noticing him now.

Suddenly the bell rang, taking them by surprise. She continued to smile at him as she said, "well, I should get out of here before someone catches me in here. I doubt the principle will be happy to hear about me hanging around in the boy's restroom."

"Yeah, plus we should get to class." Isaac said, agreeing with her.

"That too; well talk to you later, Isaac." Teagan said, as she gave him a small wave before turning around and walking out the door.

* * *

**A/N- I hope you guys all liked the 2nd chapter. We're still having a ton of fun writing this story!**

**Please check out Miss E Charlotte's page on here, she's an amazing writer with stories for Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf and Sons of Anarchy.**

**On both of our profile pages are links to our Polyvore accounts where we post sets and banners to go along with our stories. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support. **


	3. Ready, Set, Go

**Ready, Set, Go. – Chapter 3**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

At the end of the school day, Teagan was at her locker trying to remember which books she needed to take home for homework.

"Ready?" Avery asked as she leaned against the locker beside her friend.

"For the school day to be over, you have no idea." Teagan admitted.

"Uh, the day isn't over yet. We're going to lacrosse practice." Avery said, smiling.

"I remember coming to lacrosse games here when we were in middle school." Teagan said smiling at the memories.

"I've only been to football games since." Teagan continued.

"That's because lacrosse is our schools football. Not very many high schools can say that. But, it's still a violent sport… just how I like it." Avery joked as she took a compact out of her purse and checked her eyeliner.

"You are so twisted." Teagan breathed out with a small laugh.

"I'm pretty tired; maybe I'll skip watching the practice today." Teagan said.

"Miss the first practice? No way, you're coming with us." Lydia said smiling as she walked up to them with Allison beside her.

"I'm being dragged along to." Allison said nodding.

Managing a smile Teagan said, "Great."

The group of four made their way outside to the metal bleachers as the lacrosse team headed onto the field.

"I've never seen a lacrosse practice, or game for that matter." Allison admitted to them as she scanned the field.

"Football is a joke in Beacon Hills." Lydia responded as she clapped her hands and cheered when Jackson entered the field.

"So, who's that?" Avery whispered as she leaned over to Teagan.

"Who?" Teagan asked.

"That boy you keep staring at…" Avery said looking at one of the players.

"His name is Isaac, he's in like one or two of my classes." Teagan shrugged off her question.

"And you already know his name?" Avery asked.

"No, he works at the cemetery… I met him there when we had my mom's service." Teagan said, her voice soft.

"I'm sorry, I… didn't even think about that." She admitted as she tucked some of her full blonde hair behind her ear.

"It's okay, people have got to stop telling me they're sorry. I think I'd rather have an awkward silence than keep hearing people said they're sorry for me." Teagan finally admitted,

"Oh, I'm sor…" Avery's voice trailed off as she bit down on her bottom lip and her light brown eyes widened.

"Jackson looks so good out there, he's the best player." Lydia said loudly, interrupting her friends conversation.

Teagan looked back to see Jackson starring at her from across the field.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bleachers; he had been making her uncomfortable with how he was acting when they were alone.

Then he was a completely different person when they were around other people.

"Who's that?" Allison asked as she looked at the goalie.

"Him; I have no idea." Lydia said.

"I think his name is Scott." Teagan said, remembering a class she'd had with him.

"Hmm." Allison hummed.

"Why?" Avery asked looking at her.

"He's in my English class." Allison explained as she watched him.

"Isn't that the guy from the lunchroom you were staring at?" Teagan asked as she nudged Avery.

"I wasn't staring at him." Avery reminded her as she looked out onto the field.

"I didn't know he played lacrosse though." Avery said under her breath as she watched him.

Teagan smiled at Isaac who looked at her before he pulled his helmet on and joined the rest of the team.

Jackson narrowed his eyes at Isaac when he saw Teagan's friendly gesture.

Once they started to play, he charged at Isaac knocking him down.

Teagan gasped and her eyes widened.

"Chill Teagan, it's part of the game." Lydia said, her voice had a jolt of attitude as she had been watching Jackson steal glances at Teagan.

"Violence…" Avery said nodding.

Allison continued to watch Scott as he looked back at her from across the field.

"That was Isaac." Teagan whispered to Avery.

"Is someone crushing on him?" Avery asked, with arched eyebrows.

"No, I just got back into town…" Teagan said avoiding her friends eyes.

"I'm sure he's okay." Avery tried to assure her.

Teagan nodded and watched as Danny offered Isaac a hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Told you Jackson was the best one on the team." Lydia said, as she looked to Allison.

As a gust of wind blew, Teagan tucked some of her brunette hair behind her ear and saw Jackson was watching her again.

She nervously took out her phone and checked the time, wishing she had skipped lacrosse practice.

"That's just… painful to watch." Avery said as she shook her head.

"What?" Teagan asked as she popped her head up and looked around wondering if Jackson had went after anyone else.

"Stiles…" Avery answered.

Teagan watched as he unsuccessfully tried to get the ball and score.

"He's not very good." Teagan agreed nodding as she slid her phone back in her pocket.

"That's an understatement… he sucks." Avery said looking over at her.

"Must be why you didn't know he played, huh? He probably is benched most of the season." Teagan said.

They sat in silence and watched more of the practice.

All of them surprised at how good Scott was at the game.

"He seems pretty good." Allison said smiling to herself as she watched Scott.

"Yeah, really good." Lydia agreed as she focused her attention on him.

"Stilinski! Off the field." Coach Finstock yelled as he pointed to the bench.

"Wait… his last name is Stilinski?" Teagan asked looking over at Avery.

"Well, he's the only one walking to the bench so I guess so." Avery said.

Teagan laughed, "His name is Stiles Stilinski?"

"Poor thing!" Avery exclaimed as she started laughing with her friend.

They watched as Scott stopped goal after goal from being scored, and Stiles cheered his friend on from the bench.

Sick of seeing someone else being the center of attention Jackson got the ball and ran towards the goal.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as he threw the ball.

When Scott caught it in his net Lydia and Avery jumped up and cheered along with several other students, and Stiles cheered from by the bench on the field.

Jackson angrily threw his net down on the field and glared at Lydia as she cheered on Scott.

"Whoa, you guys are really into this…" Allison said looking between Lydia and Avery.

"We've been to every single game since like 7th grade." Lydia said, looking down to where Allison was seated.

Once practice was over and Jackson changed out of his uniform he met the girls on the bleachers.

Lydia wrapped her arms around him and kissed him as she saw him look over at Teagan.

Allison excused herself from the group and headed home.

"Did you drive to school?" Jackson asked Teagan.

"No." Teagan said.

"So you want a ride?" He asked.

"It's cool, I'm taking her home." Avery said as she stepped between them.

"We need to get going." Lydia said to Jackson as she took his hand and led him from the field.

As he slid his arm around Lydia's shoulders he looked back and stared at Teagan for a few seconds as they walked away.

"Ready?" Avery asked.

"I just need out of here…" Teagan breathed as she gathered her things from the bleachers.

As they walked to the parking lot Teagan looked around and said, "So which one is yours?"

"This one." Avery said as she walked up to a sleek, older car.

"You drive this?" Teagan asked surprised.

"It's a 1965 Mustang." Avery said proudly as she opened her driver's door.

"I'm just a little surprised it isn't a hearse." Teagan joked.

"Look who's getting their sense of humor back." She said with a smile.

"But seriously, this isn't really the car I expected you to have…" Teagan admitted.

"Of course it is… I've had it picked out since I was 12. Remember my uncle restores cars." She reminded her.

"Wait, this was the piece of crap your dad bought all those years ago?" She asked wide eyed.

"And I told you one day it would be my car." Avery said nodding as she backed out of the parking spot.

Teagan looked around the all new restored interior of the car and smiled at remembering growing up with Avery in Beacon Hills.

**~()~**

After a long day at school then attending the lacrosse practice, Teagan caught a ride home from Avery and walked inside the house with a sigh. As soon as the door opened, Aspen rushed to her side, tail wagging from excitement.

She squatted down to wrap her arms around his neck, giving him a hug and feeling comforted by him. She kept her head buried in his fur until she heard someone walking down the stairs; she glanced up and saw that it was her dad dressed in a suit and tie, ready for work.

"Hey kiddo, how was school?" Paul asked, as he stepped off the last step.

"It was good." Teagan said with a fake smile, as she stood up keeping the panic attack she had to herself, not wanting to worry him.

"You ok?" Paul asked, noticing the expression on her face.

"I'm fine." Teagan answered on instinct.

"I'll just call work and tell them I need another day. We can have a family night like we used to." Paul suggested, "I'll even let you pick out the movie and the pizza toppings."

Teagan softly smiled as she remembered every Wednesday when she and her parents would get together for a movie and pizza night. They would usually 'rock, paper, scissor' for the right to pick out the movie and decide on which pizza they were eating for the night.

She felt her eyes water when she realized family night would never be the same again.

She cleared her throat, hoping her dad wouldn't hear the sadness in her voice as she said, "its ok Dad. I'm fine, just go to work."

"You sure?" Paul asked, hating the thought of leaving her alone in the house.

After she nodded her head to answer him, he said, "Well I am only a phone call away. Call me if you need anything and I'll come straight home."

"I will." Teagan promised, as she gave him a hug.

"Bye Sweet Tea, love you." Paul said, as he opened the front door.

"Bye, love you too Dad." She said back as she watched him walk out the door.  
Once she was alone, she made her way upstairs and walked into her bedroom. She dropped her book bag on the bed and looked around the room.

She had unpacked most of her clothes and knickknacks, but she still had a few more boxes left to unpack. She changed into a pair of blue sweat shorts and a white t-shirt while Aspen laid on her bed beside her; she grabbed a box and got to work.

A few minutes later, she came across all the pictures that were hanging in her old bedroom. Most were of her, Avery and Lydia, which made her smile as she thought about all the fun the three used to have together as she flipped through each picture.

Her mood quickly dropped when she came across a few pictures of her and Jackson back when they were dating. She felt tears fill her eyes as she looked at them smiling at each other. Seeing him at school earlier that day was a lot harder than she thought it was going to be.

Through her talks with Avery, she wasn't surprised at seeing him with Lydia, but she was surprised at how her heart ached when he was near and knowing he wasn't hers anymore. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed him.

She took a deep breath and blinked back the tears as she tossed the pictures of him and her back into the box. When she looked down at the next picture in her hand, her eyes filled with tears again, but this time she couldn't hold them back. It was the last picture that she and her mom had taken together.

Suddenly needing to get away from all the memories, she dropped all the pictures and jumped up from the bed. She needed to get out of the house before she had another attack. With that thought in mind, she grabbed a pair of running shoes from her closet and made her way downstairs. She called for Aspen then opened the front door as the two ran out onto the porch, leaving his leash behind since she knew he would follow her where ever she went.

She didn't know where they were going and she didn't care, she just ran as fast as she could, running from all the pain and hurt she was feeling. She wasn't sure how long she had been running when she finally came to a stop gasping for breath. She bent over and rested her hands on her knees as she took several deep breaths.

Once her breathing returned to normal, she straightened up and glanced around, realizing she and Aspen were in the middle of the woods. She went to turn around to leave, wanting to get home before it got late, until she suddenly had the feeling that she wasn't alone.

It was a creepy feeling, like someone or something was standing just out of sight watching her. She was about to shrug it off as it being just her imagination until Aspen began to growl beside her as he stared straight ahead.

She took a small step back and went to reach out to grab his collar to pull him along with her, but before she could, he ran off as if to chase something.

"Aspen, come back. Aspen!" Teagan yelled out as she ran in the same direction that he did. She couldn't see him but she could hear him barking at something.

She tried to follow his bark until she heard him yelp and whine. She opened her mouth to call out for him again until she saw him running towards her with his tail tucked between his legs. He stood behind her, shaking in fear.

Worried that something had hurt him, she dropped down to her knees and looked him over but thankfully didn't find anything. But even if he wasn't hurt, she was still worried about him as he continued to shake and whine.

"Come on boy, let's get you checked out." Teagan said, as she stood up then reached out to grab his collar and began to lead him out of the woods.

Many minutes later, Teagan stood in the front room of the vet's office while the vet checked over Aspen. She had only been waiting a few minutes when the door to the building was jerked open and two boys rushed inside. She took a step back out of the way as the dark-headed boy ran past her, calling out his apologizes for being late.

The other boy, who looked vaguely familiar but she just couldn't place him at the moment, was tossing out one excuse after another as he explained why the other boy was late for work, but when he saw her he came to a halt with his mouth open as he stared at her and tried to catch his breath.

Stiles knew it wasn't polite to stare but he was just so surprised to see Teagan standing there and for a moment he hoped if she was there, that meant Avery was too. He remembered when they were younger you never saw one without the other, but after a quick glance around, he realized Avery wasn't with her and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

When he saw a creeped out look come across her face, he realized he was still staring at her and gave her a small wave and smile, hoping to ease her fears. The last thing he wanted to do was freak out his crush's best friend.

He would be mortified if Teagan went back and told Avery about the weird kid at the vet's.

Teagan gave him a polite smile back then turned her head, hoping he would leave or begin staring at something else, but she could tell from the corner of her eye that he was still looking at her occasionally like he was dying to say something. She turned her head back to look at him with eyebrows raised as if to say 'can I help you?'

"You uh, your friends with Avery right?" Stiles stuttered out, then groaned at how stupid he sounded. Of course they were friends and he already knew that.

"Yeah." Teagan answered slowly, as she turned to face him and folded her arms across her chest.

"You know Avery?" She asked, wondering how he knew her best friend.

"Yeah we go to school together. I mean we all go to school together, you're there too." Stiles explained nervously, "I'm her lab partner."

"Oh! You're Stiles." Teagan exclaimed, finally realizing why he and the other boy looked familiar.

"You-you know who I am?" Stiles asked with a shocked expression.

"Yeah, Avery mentioned you two were partners." Teagan explained.

Stiles felt his eyes widen in shock and a goofy grin appeared on his face. She talked about him! Avery had talked about him to her best friend. He didn't know much about girls, but he knew that was a big deal.

"Wow! So, she talks about me? Avery talks about me?" Stiles asked, happily.

"Well um, I mean, she mentioned you that once, but then that was it. Sorry." Teagan explained, seeing his smile drop and felt bad for upsetting him.

"No that-that's cool. I knew that's what you meant." Stiles said, trying to play off his disappointment.

Teagan gave him a small smile then looked away, thinking the conversation was over. Stiles opened his mouth, wanting to ask her more about Avery. He wanted to know anything and everything about her, but before he could say a word, Scott and Dr. Deaton walked over toward them with a still frightened Aspen.

"Hey, is he ok?" Teagan asked, as she dropped down to her knees to hug the dog.

"Yes he is fine. I couldn't find anything wrong with him. If I had to guess, I would say something spooked him, but he'll be ok." Dr. Deaton answered.

Teagan breathed a sigh of relief and shot the vet a smile, thanking him for his help. He gave her a nod then turned around to walk off, getting back to work.

"Beautiful dog." Scott said, as he reached out to pet him until the dog snapped at him.

"Aspen, no!" Teagan called out, then looked at Scott as she stood up and said, "I'm sorry. He's never tried to bite anyone before."

"It's ok. Deaton said you two were in the woods and something scared him. He's probably still upset about that." Scott explained.

"You were in the woods? When? Did you see anything?" Stiles asked her with wide eyes.

"Yes, early, no and why?" Teagan said back, wondering what the big deal was.

"Just wondering. The woods are creepy, you should stay out of them. Tell Avery that too." Stiles said vaguely.

"What's so creepy about the woods? We use to play in them all the time when I was young." Teagan asked.

"There's nothing wrong with the woods." Scott said, as he shot an annoyed look at Stiles. He knew Stiles thought the werewolf thing was real, but there is no way it was a werewolf that bit him the other night.

"There was a dead body in the woods." Stiles pointed out.

"Ew! Seriously?" Teagan asked, as she winkled her nose in disgust.

"Well half of a dead body. Avery thought it was cool." Stiles added.

"That doesn't surprise me. She has always been into stuff like that." Teagan said with a smile, thinking it was cute that her best friend and Stiles had something in common.

"What else is she into?" Stiles asked.

Teagan opened her mouth to answer but before she could say a word, they heard the bottom fall out as it began to rain hard outside, causing her to groan out loud since she had walked there.

"Great, just great. Now I have to walk home in the rain." She groaned again, as if the day couldn't get any worse.

"I can give you a ride." Stiles offered.

"No it's ok. Me and Aspen will just make a run for it." Teagan said back.

"Really, I don't mind. Aspen can come too." Stiles added.

"Thanks Stiles." She said, as she shot him a smile. She told Scott bye, then reached down to grab Aspen's collar and began to walk towards the door. As she passed by Stiles she added, "I might just have to mention to a certain someone how nice of a guy you are."

"Really? You would put in a good word for me?" Stiles asked surprised.

As she nodded her head 'yes', he threw his fist in the air for a silent cheer then said, "I am so glad you came back to town."

"I'm starting to feel a little glad too." She admitted with a smile.

* * *

**A/N-We have been having so much fun brainstorming and writing for this story. ^_^ I really hope you all are enjoying it too.**

**On both of our profile pages are links to our Polyvore accounts where we post sets and banners to go along with our stories.**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support so much. ^_^**


	4. The Better Girlfriend

**The Better Girlfriend – Chapter 4**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

For the rest of the week Teagan tried to keep to herself and avoid Jackson as much as possible. She went to school, talked to Avery and the other girls, then instead of hanging out with everyone, she would make excuses for why she had to rush home after school where she would spend the evenings alone with Aspen while her dad was at work.

Avery didn't push her to hang out if she agreed to go to the lacrosse scrimmage at the end of the week. Teagan agreed to the deal, hoping she could find some way to get out of it before the day came, but now the day was here and she had no excuse, which was for the best since Avery wasn't taking no for an answer.

As soon as the final bell rang, Avery made her way towards Teagan's locker with Lydia and Allison as back up to drag her to the field if she had to. Going to lacrosse games is what they always did when they were younger and now that Teagan was back, Avery was going to make sure she kept the tradition alive.

"You ready?" Lydia asked as she and the two other girls walked up behind Teagan.

"Yeah in a sec." Teagan answered, as she switched out her books for the ones she would need that night.

"Hurry up! I don't want to miss anything." Avery said, rushing her along.

"I thought the game was just a scrimmage?" Allison asked, confused.

"It is." Teagan answered, then looked at Avery as she added with a laugh, "They are just playing against themselves. It's not a real game."

"I know but everyone is going to be fighting to be first line which equals lots of violence. It's going to be awesome!" Avery cheered out.

"You are so weird." Teagan said with a laugh, letting Avery know she was just kidding.

"True but I'm also awesome which is why you all hang out with me." Avery said back as she pointed to all three of the girls, who nodded their heads in agreement causing the small group to laugh out loud together.

"But seriously T let's go, I don't want to miss any of the action." Avery said, after the laughter died down.

"Well we already know one player who will make first line." Lydia said, then paused for a moment for a dramatic effect before adding, "Jackson."

Teagan looked back inside her locker and rolled her eyes. She didn't know what bothered her more, hearing Lydia gush about Jackson all the time or seeing them all over each other anytime they were in the same area. Either one hurt her heart the same and she didn't know how much more she could handle.

Already needing a moment to herself, Teagan mumbled out 'crap' then slammed her locker shut. Cutting off Lydia in mid-sentence as she began to brag about how awesome Jackson was once again.

"What's wrong? Avery asked.

"I left my English book in class." Teagan lied.

"We'll go with you to get it." Allison offered.

"No, it's ok. You all go ahead. I'll go grab it then meet you out there." Teagan said, just wanting a few moments alone to catch her breath.

"Ok." Lydia said with a shrug. She didn't mind meeting up later, she just wanted to get outside and see Jackson in action.

"You sure you don't want us to go with you?" Avery asked.

"I'm sure." Teagan answered, then added with a sigh when Avery shot her a look, "I promise I will meet you outside in a few minutes. I swear I am not trying to make a run for it."

"Ok, see you in a few." Avery said as she and the other two girls turned around to walk away.

Once she was alone, Teagan took a deep breath then slowly released it before walking off in the opposite direction, taking the long way to the field. She had just turned down a hallway when she saw Jackson push the kid from the vet's office, Scott, into a locker. She could tell from the expression on their faces that it wasn't a friendly conversation they were having.

"Hey!" Teagan called out, as she ran down the hall to stop Jackson before he hurt the boy.

"Stay out of this T." Jackson snapped without looking at her. He kept his eyes on Scott as he said, "You think you're funny don't you McCall?"

Jackson didn't wait for him to answer as he continued, "I know you're hiding something. I'm gonna find out what it is. I don't care how long it takes."

As Jackson leaned forward to slap the locker near Scott's head, Teagan jumped in surprise then rushed forward to step in between them. She laid her hands on Jackson's chest then pushed him back as she called out, "that's enough, Jackson!"

Seeing that she had Jackson distracted, Scott took that moment to flee down the hallway away from them. After seeing Scott run away, Jackson walked towards Teagan causing her to take several steps back until her back hit the locker.

"I told you to stay out of this." Jackson yelled angrily.

"What the hell is your problem?" Teagan yelled back as she pushed him back again.

"He's on something." Jackson said, as he pointed down the hallway that Scott just ran down, "I don't know if it's steroids or something else, but something is going on with him."

"So?" Teagan asked, then added,"who cares! Who cares if he's taking anything."

"I care." Jackson yelled, then lowered his voice a little, "I'm the best damn player out there and I'm going to do whatever I can to stay the best."

"Oh my God, Jackson it's just a game." Teagan said, as she ran her hands through her hair with a sigh. He was quickly giving her a headache.

"Lacrosse is all that I have that is really mine. Lydia understands that, but I guess you don't, guess we now know who the better girlfriend is." Jackson said with a cruel smile.

"Well I'm glad to see that my moving away worked out so well for you. I hope you and Lydia will be _very_ happy together." Teagan snapped, as she walked past him and made her way down the hall.

Jackson continued to smile as he watched her walk away. He saw the hurt look in her eyes at his comment and knew she still loved him. Now he just had to figure out what he was going to do with that.

**~(Later that night)~**

"Avery, you look…" Teagan's voice trailed off as she opened her front door and looked her friend over.

Her eyes traveled up from Avery's strappy high-heels to her short tight black skirt, and skin tight red shirt.

"Hot, right?" Avery asked with a dramatic wink.

"Do you have a date or something?" Teagan asked.

Avery nodded, her glittery painted red lips curving up into a smile.

"With who?" Teagan asked surprised.

"You." Avery said.

Teagan's confusion grew.

"I brought some clothes… we're going to make you look as hot as me and then I'm dragging your ass to the party." Avery exclaimed as she pushed her way into her friend's house.

"Oh, no. I really don't want to." Teagan declined her offer.

"First off; I love how you think it was an offer, and secondly; I know things have been terrible, and I've been understanding letting you come home and mope around every night… but it's my duty as your best friend to help you." Avery said as she grabbed Teagan's arm and pulled her upstairs.

"Aspen!" Avery greeted with a smile as she saw Teagan's white husky laying on her friends bed.

Aspen raised his head and excitedly wagged his tail as he looked at her.

"I really don't want to do this." Teagan said as she watched Avery pet her dog.

"You need to let loose, have some fun and you've known me my entire life. I won't take no for an answer." Avery said.

"You're impossible, A." Teagan said a she rubbed her forehead, and not able to stop the small smile on her lips.

"So I'm thinking… leather pants." Avery said as she pulled a pair of black, leather pants from the large bag of clothes she brought with her.

"Uh, no I don't think so." Teagan said with wide eyes.

"You've got the ass for them." Avery said nodding her head.

"What's wrong with what I've got on?" Teagan asked looking down to herself.

"Well, nothing if you were going to study in the library… but this is a party, T, and look at it this way; if Isaac is there what's going to get his blood pumping more? Your blah study date look? Or skin tight leather pants?" Avery asked.

"Good point…" Teagan said as she took the pants from her friend and looked at them.

"I knew you liked Isaac." Avery said as she pulled a dark blue shirt from the bag and handed it to her.

"I… I never said that." Teagan quickly stammered.

"It's okay, I'll admit… he's kinda cute." Avery said as applied more lip gloss.

"He is cute, isn't he?" Teagan said quietly as she turned and headed into her bathroom.

Moments later she emerged, dressed for the party.

"Perfect." Avery said as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"You really think Isaac will be there?" Teagan asked as she started to look through her box of jewelry.

"Maybe, I mean I've never seen him at any other parties but I also didn't know who he was until you pointed him out." She admitted with a shrug.

"What about Stiles?" Teagan asked.

"What about him?" Avery asked.

"Have you ever noticed him at a party before?" She asked.

"Not really, why? You're into Stiles Stilinski too?" Avery asked with arched eyebrows.

"No, but you are." Teagan said as she began to fix her make-up.

"I am not." Avery said defensively.

"He likes dead things, you like dead things… it's meant to be." Teagan joked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Avery asked confused.

"He told me you thought it was cool there was half a dead body in the woods. I had Aspen at the vet the other day and he was there." Teagan explained.

"It's not that cool, he didn't actually find the half a dead body." Avery brushed it off.

"He's pretty nice, it started to rain and he offered me and Aspen a ride home." Teagan continued.

"Ah, a true gentleman." Avery laughed.

"I might have promised I'd put in a good word for him with you." Teagan admitted as she applied a light coat of lipstick.

"A good word?" She asked.

"Yeah, mention to you how he's a good a guy and all." Teagan responded.

"But why would he want you to tell me he's a good guy?" Avery questioned.

Teagan glanced around holding back laughter.

"He uh, obviously likes you." Teagan said.

"Well, then he should ask me out or something… not use my best friend to put a good word in." Avery said.

"He seems a little shy, he was practically stuttering when he asked me about you." Teagan said.

"I'm an intense, in your face person. If a guy wants to be with me he can't be intimidated by that." Avery said with a shrug.

"You think you intimidate him?" Teagan asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I don't really think so, when we talked in chemistry I freaked him out and convinced him that I'd done my tattoo myself and then he tried to one up me, and freak me out by telling me he was searching for a body in the woods." Avery said with a smile.

"Well, then he's already surprised you once. Maybe he's worth getting to know?" Teagan asked.

"Maybe." Avery said with a shrug.

"What about you and Isaac?" Avery asked.

"I've only talked to him a few a times." Teagan said, as she tucked some of her brunette hair behind her ear.

"But you liked the times you've talk to him right?" Avery pushed.

"Weren't we just talking about how you like Stiles?" Teagan tried to change the subject.

"No, we were talking about Stiles liking me… but now we've moved onto your love life." Avery said as she zipped the bag of clothes shut.

"Isaac is really different from the normal type of guy I'm attracted too. He's soft spoken, and funny… in a weird kind of way but, I mean… I don't know. I hadn't planned on dating anyone right away." Teagan said.

"Maybe this could be a good thing, you're right he seems different from your normal type which could be a nice change. Plus, I think it might make Jackson back off some if he sees you on another guys arm." Avery said.

"Maybe." Teagan said her smile falling some as she thought about Jackson.

"Stupid mistake, I'm sorry for bringing Jackson up." Avery apologized.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Teagan assured her.

"We're going to be late if we don't get going." Teagan said when Avery stayed quiet.

The two girls headed out to Avery's car to make their way to the party.

* * *

**A/N- I hope you guys all liked the latest chapter. We're still having so much fun writing this!**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support more than you know.**


	5. Where Did the Party Go?

**Where Did the Party Go? – Chapter 5**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Many minutes later, Avery parked her car on the busy sidewalk behind a few other cars then stepped out of her car. She glanced over at the passenger side and waited for Teagan to exit the car. She shot her a look as if to ask, 'you ready?', then when Teagan nodded her head, the two girls began to walk towards the house the party was taking place at.

Teagan pulled at the black leather pants she was wearing with a sigh, "I cannot believe I let you talk me into wearing these pants."

"Stop picking at them. You look hot as hell. I knew your ass would look good in them and I bet even Isaac will think so." Avery said, teasing her about her maybe crush.

"I told you A, I don't plan on dating anyone right away." Teagan said, reminding her of what she told her earlier.

"That's what you say now, but I bet if you see him you will drag him off into a room and have your way with him." Avery said with a laugh.

"Hey! I don't hook up with guys on the first date and I especially don't do it before we are even dating." Teagan said, "sleeping around on the first date is more your speed."

"I don't sleep with guys on the first date." Avery said with a gasp.

"Mark... Dylan... Joseph..."

"Anymore." Avery called out, interrupting her.

Teagan threw her head back and laughed out loud, then changed subject, "But speaking of hooking up, I bet Stiles will be all over you when he sees how hot you are tonight."

Avery didn't say anything for a moment as she opened the front door and walked into the noisy house, then called out, "Sorry, I can't hear you."

Teagan rolled her eyes and laughed at her avoiding the comment as the two girls glanced around the crowded room. Some guy they didn't know walked past them and handed them both a red plastic cup.

"What is this?" Teagan called out to him over the music.

"Purple nurple." He answered.

"A what?" Avery asked.

"A purple nurple. It's a drink I made up. It's good, drink up." He said.

"No thank you." Avery said, as she grabbed the drink out of Teagan's hand then handed both cups back to him.

"I guess you're no fun." He said, as he rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink.

"I'm tons of fun, I just don't drink random stuff from guys that I don't know." Avery said back.

The guy scoffed then said, "We've been going to school together since kindergarten."

"Doesn't mean I know you." Avery pointed out with a shrug.

"I guess not, but I know you. You're a stuck up bitch." He snapped.

"Well if you knew that, then you should have known better than to try and talk to me." Avery said back with a smile, as she grabbed Teagan's arm and walked past the guy, pulling her friend along behind her.

"I can honestly say I have missed hearing you tell people off." Teagan said with a laugh as the two girls walked outside where even more people were.

"What can I say it's fun." Avery said with a laugh as the two made their way toward Lydia who was waving them over.

"What's so funny?" Lydia asked the two girls who were still laughing once they were standing in front of her.

"Just Avery being Avery." Teagan said, laughing.

"What the hell is a purple nurple anyway?" Avery asked, causing Teagan to laugh again.

"What?" Lydia asked confused.

"Nothing, it was stupid." Teagan said, still laughing.

"Oh ok." Lydia said feeling left out, which was actually common around those two. They had always had their own little private jokes that she was always left out of. She took a deep breath, determined not to let it bother her then looked at Avery, "Why am I not surprised that you are dressed in black again?"

"It's my signature color." Avery said with a shrug like she didn't see what the big deal was.

"And you.." Lydia began to say as she looked at Teagan then added, "You look like a mini-Avery."

"That's cause she dressed me like this against my will." Teagan joked.

"Well you look... nice." Lydia said with a smile when she saw her comment made her feel self-conscious. It wasn't that she was trying to be a bitch, but now that she was back in town and Jackson kept staring at her, she needed to knock Teagan down before she took what is hers.

"Thanks... I think." Teagan mumbled.

"Well see you girls later." Lydia said happily, as she walked past them to go meet up with Jackson.

Avery shook her head as they watched her walk away, she shouldn't have been surprised that Lydia would act that way. She glanced over at Teagan and saw her fold her arms across her stomach like she was trying to cover herself up. She reached forward to pull her arms away then said, "No, don't do that. Don't listen to Lydia you look amazing."

"I look ridiculous." Teagan argued.

"If by ridiculous you mean amazing then yes you do look ridiculous." Avery joked.

"Ha-ha. Not funny." Teagan said sarcastically.

"Ok fine, let's ask someone and get a second opinion." Avery suggested, as she looked around for someone to ask.

When she saw Danny walking past them she reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards them before saying, "Hey Danny, can you help us with something?"

"Sure. What do you girls need?" Danny asked.

"Tell Teagan she looks great. She thinks she looks ridiculous." Avery said, as she pointed to her friend.

"You look great T." Danny said honestly.

"You don't have to say it just cause Avery told you to." Teagan pointed out.

"I'm not just saying it. You do look great." Danny said back.

"See told you!" Avery cheered, "My job here is done. I'm off to find a non-alcoholic drink. See you two later."

Teagan and Danny waved 'bye' then watched as she walked through the crowd of people and went into the house. Teagan bobbed her head to the music as she glanced around at all the people dancing or standing around talking.

She gasped in surprise when her eyes landed on Jackson, who was staring at her from across the yard. She was just thankful that no one could hear her heart beating.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks you look great." Danny joked.

Teagan softly chuckled then said, "I need a drink."

"Come on, we'll get a drink together." Danny said, as he held out his arm for her to grab.

The two made their way toward the keg that was sitting off to the side. After filling up a red plastic cup, Danny handed her the cup then began to fill up a cup for himself. When he was done he was surprised to see her holding out her cup, wanting a refill.

"You need to slow down T." Danny gave her a friendly warning as he filled her cup up again.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just after everything that has happened lately I just wanted a night to forget." Teagan softly explained.

"I understand that, I just worry about you." Danny said, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him to give her a sideways hug.

"No need to worry. I'll be ok." Teagan said, hoping what she said was the truth.

She was in the middle of drinking her second cup full of beer, when a new pop song began to play and Danny pulled the cup away from her mouth before saying, "Come on. Let's go dance."

"But... beer." Teagan whined, as he sat her cup down and pulled her toward all the other dancing couples.

**~()~**

Avery made her way through the party crowd and into the kitchen; opening the refrigerator, she grabbed a can of soda.

"You don't drink?" She heard a voice ask from behind her.

Turning around she saw Stiles with a red plastic cup in his hand.

"I drink, but I drove tonight and I'd rather not be in some drunk driving accident and kill someone or myself tonight." She said with an arched eyebrow.

She watched as he took a drink from his cup.

"Did you drive tonight?" She asked as she opened the can of soda.

"Oh, uh… yeah. I did." He said as he sat his cup down on the counter.

She laughed to herself and walked past him out of the kitchen.

It wasn't much later that Stiles found her again.

"What do you want?" she asked, her dark lined eyes slightly narrowed at him.

"You look great." He said.

She looked around hoping to see someone she knew she could go talk to.

"You want to dance?" He asked, his tone a little shaky from nerves.

"With you? No." She stated flatly.

"Why not?" He asked her.

"Why'd you wear a suit and a tie to a high school party?" She asked.

He looked down at his clothes.

"There's nothing wrong with my clothes." He defended, thrown off by her statement.

"Sure, if this were a formal dace… but it's a high school party; where you're drinking cheap booze from red plastic cups." She argued with him.

"What about your clothes?" He asked, not sure how to respond to her.

"What about them? I thought you said I looked nice." She replied as she took a drink of her soda.

"You do, but not for a high school party where the alcohol is being served in plastic cups." He joked playfully.

"What's wrong with my clothes, is my skirt too short?" She asked, with a smirk as she watched his eyes travel down her body.

"Uhh…" He managed to stutter.

"No? So maybe it's not short enough…?" she said, her voice trailing off as she slowly slid the black fabric of her short skirt higher up on her outer thigh.

His eyes widened and she barely held in her laughter as she revealed even more of her smooth, tanned skin.

Letting go of the fabric it fell back to its original length.

He blinked a few times and managed to pull his eyes away, but couldn't form any words.

Closing his eyes for a few seconds he took a deep breath trying to control his now increased heart rate.

But when he opened his eyes she was gone.

Avery laughed to herself as she moved outside of the house and looked around to everyone dancing.

"I saw that." Lydia said as she walked up to her.

"Saw what?" Avery asked.

"You hiking your skirt up for that nerds benefit." Lydia said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Wow, I didn't hike my skirt up and who said it was for his benefit?" Avery asked her.

Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Why do you get off on making people uncomfortable?" Lydia continued to question her.

"Why do you get off on trying to bring everyone else down?" She shot back.

"Why do you answer every question with another question?" Lydia argued.

"Why shouldn't I?" Avery asked with a laugh at seeing her friend's irritation.

"Forget it, have you seen Jackson?" Lydia asked her.

"Nope, I've been too busy hiking my skirt up for a nerds benefit." She answered nonchalantly.

Lydia frowned at her.

"Sorry… but in all honesty, no I haven't seen Jackson." Avery apologized.

"He left to get us some drinks and I can't find him." Lydia continued to explain.

"Maybe check the kitchen?" She said with a shrug.

"And hunt him down? No, if he wants to pick back up where we left off, he'll find me." Lydia said as she dramatically flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away.

**~()~**

Teagan threw her head back and laughed when Danny spun her around then dipped her toward the ground. Between the cup of beer she drank too fast and being dipped, she was beginning to feel a little tipsy, but she didn't care because at this moment she was actually having fun for the first time in a while.

She threw her arms in the air and moved her hips from side to side as Danny danced around in front of her. She closed her eyes for a moment and just moved along with the music, feeling free. She spun around and opened her eyes with a gasp when she saw Jackson standing in front of her.

"Mind if I cut in?" Jackson asked as he looked at her for a moment then looked over her head at Danny.

She glanced behind her and shook her head, begging Danny to say no, but instead he smiled at the both of them and said, "You two kids have fun."

"Danny!" Teagan hissed. Wishing he would come back and save her; she was not in the mood to deal with Jackson right now.

With a sigh she turned her head back to look at Jackson with an annoyed look on her face. He ignored the look she was giving him and smiled at her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him.

Teagan laid her hands flat on his chest to hold him back as she glanced around, hoping Lydia or no one else was watching them but was happy to see everyone was too busy having fun and wasn't paying her or Jackson any attention.

But even if no one was watching, she still knew this was wrong. She looked up at him and called his name, planning to tell him that but before she could say another word he interrupted her.

"It's just a dance, T. Calm down." Jackson said, as he pulled her even closer to him as the two began to sway to the music.

She knew she should push him away and walk off, but for a moment she let him hold her like he use to and enjoyed the feel of him against her. She bit her bottom lip and felt a chill run down her spine when she felt how excited she was making him. She hated to admit it but it made her happy to know that she still turned him on.

Jackson wasn't the only one turned on at the moment though, she was too and she definitely knew that was wrong. This wasn't just a friendly dance anymore, things were getting out of hand fast and she needed to put a stop to it.

Teagan didn't say anything as she pushed him back, taking him by surprise, before she turned around to walk away. He reached out to grab her hand and bring her to a stop as he asked her what was wrong.

"Leave me alone." Teagan mumbled as she jerked her hand away and hurriedly walked off hoping and praying he wouldn't follow. She didn't know how much longer she could be around him before she finally crumbled and gave in to the feelings she was experiencing at the moment.

While taking several deep breaths to calm her nerves, she made her way inside the crowded house trying to put as much distance between herself and Jackson as she could. She made her way into the living room and saw the stairs off to the side and made her way toward them, taking two at a time to get upstairs where thankfully no else was, she needed time away from everyone.

She walked down the empty hall and opened the first door she saw then jumped back in surprise when she saw two girls and a guy making out on the bathroom floor.

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry. I should really learn to knock." Teagan said apologizing to them. She quickly shut the door and ran a hand through her hair as she softly added, "in case there's a threesome going on in the bathroom."

She shuddered in disgust then made her way further down the hall and over to another door. This time she softly knocked then leaned toward the door, listening for a noise on the other side. When she didn't hear anything, she slowly opened the door and peeked inside. She sighed with relief when she saw an empty bedroom.

She quickly walked inside and shut the door behind her before walking across the floor to look out the bedroom window with her arms folded across her chest.

She was looking up at the full moon when she heard the bedroom door open from behind her, she spun around and sighed when she saw it was Jackson.

"What do you want Jackson?" Teagan asked.

"Did you know there's a threesome going on down the hall?" Jackson joked, as he leaned back against the bedroom door.

"You followed me in here just to tell me that?" Teagan asked. She didn't wait for him to answer as she continued, "cause if you did you can leave now. I unfortunately saw that with my own eyes."

"That's not the real reason why I'm here and you know that." Jackson said, as he pushed away from the door and took a few steps toward her.

"Jackson... don't." Teagan began to say, but he cut her off mid-word as he placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her toward him pressing his lips against hers.

She mumbled out a protest and tried to pull away but he held her in place with his hand still on the back of her neck as his lips continued to move against hers.

He nibbled on her bottom lip, begging for entrance causing her to finally give in as she melted into the kiss. As the kiss began to heat up, he removed the hand from her neck to cup the back of her head and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

He kissed across her jaw and made his way over to her neck, nibbling on the spot that he knew always made her moan. After he heard her moan out loud, he grinned against her skin then moved up to her ear to whisper, "God I missed that sound."

At hearing his voice, she snapped her eyes open and quickly pushed him away. She couldn't believe she allowed this to happen. She knew better, but she was weak and gave in because she had missed him.

But missing him didn't make it right, he still had a girlfriend, a girlfriend that was her best friend and now because of her, he had cheated on Lydia.

"Oh God, oh God." Teagan mumbled, as she ran her hands through her hair. She really hated herself right now.

"What's wrong now?" Jackson asked feeling annoyed. He had been waiting for the chance to get his hands and lips on her again and now that he finally was, he didn't like being pushed away.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Teagan said back bitterly. She couldn't believe he was honestly asking her that. "This is wrong Jackson." She said, as she gestured between them then added, "We can't do this. You have a girlfriend."

"I know what I have Teagan. You don't have to remind me." Jackson snapped.

"Then what are you doing in here with me?" Teagan asked; before he could answer she asked him the question that had been bugging her for a while, "And why Lydia? Why did you have to date my best friend?"

"You left." Jackson said simply as if that explained everything, which for her, it didn't.

"So you did it to get back at me or something? You were pissed that I left so you dated my friend?" Teagan asked angrily, "How long before you jumped into bed with her? A month? A week?"

"It wasn't like that." Jackson called out, "You said 'good-bye' and I thought it was going to be forever so I moved on."

"Well I'm sorry I messed up your life by coming back. It's not like I planned for my mom to get murdered." Teagan snapped sarcastically, as she walked passed him, heading for the door.

"That's not what I meant Teagan." Jackson said, as he tried to grab her arm but she quickly pulled it away.

"Just go back to your girlfriend and leave me the hell alone." Teagan snapped, as she pulled the door open and rushed out into the hall.

She was starting to regret letting Avery talk her into coming to this stupid party.

All she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed with Aspen, who she quickly starting to realize, was the only male she needed in her life.

From this moment on she was staying away from all guys. She didn't need or want that kind of drama in her life.

**~()~**

Avery smiled as she saw Allison dancing with Scott, she knew her new friend was already crushing on him hard.

"Hey, there you are. Why do you keep running away from me?" Stiles asked as he found her again.

"Maybe I run away because I like to be chased." She said smiling at him.

He returned the smiled.

Then her smile fell and she flatly said, "Or maybe I run away because I want to be left alone."

He looked at her confused.

"How am I supposed to know which one?" He asked as he ran a hand over his hair.

"You've already decided it's because I like to be chased, because you keep chasing me." She answered as she sat her almost empty can down on the cement by her feet.

"This would be a lot easier if you'd just stop running from me." He pointed out.

"What would be easier?" she asked.

"My trying to talk to you!" He exclaimed, a little frustrated as he waved a hand between them.

"Did the cops ever find the other half of the body?" She asked.

He shook his head at her sudden change in tone and topic of conversation.

"No." He said.

"Oh, then what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"I don't know." He admitted.

"So you're chasing me around a party determined to talk to me, but you don't know what you want to talk about?" She teased him.

"I did know… but you made me forget with the whole skirt thing." He said.

Her glittery red lips curved up into a smile as she looked at him.

"Aw, do I make you nervous?" She asked taking a step forward.

"I think you know that you do." Stiles said, his voice stronger than before.

"Me?" She asked, her voice sugary sweet as she tried to play innocent.

Taking a step towards her he said, "Yeah, I think you know exactly what you're doing."

She raised her eyebrows at his sudden sense of bravery.

"So, then what are you doing?" She asked, her voice low as she looked at him and their eyes met.

Feeling his bravery fade and his nervousness come back he stammered, "I… I don't know."

She let out a small sigh and took a step back.

Seeing her shift in reaction he grabbed her hand and said, "We're going to dance."

"I already declined your offer." She reminded him.

"Well, this time I'm not giving you a choice." He said, feeling his bravery come back as he led her closer to the pool where all the other couples were dancing.

She bit down on the inside of her lip and smiled to herself at his taking control.

As he let go of her hand and faced her, his eyes were a little wide and breathing slightly labored.

Avery looked around at the couples dancing close with their bodies against each other as she looked back to Stiles.

"You gonna put your hands on me, or are we just going to stand here?" She asked her light brown eyes narrowing playfully as she challenged him.

"What?" He said, his voice squeaked a little.

Sighing but smiling she stepped forward grabbing his hands and placing them on her hips before she leaned in farther and locked her arms behind his neck.

Slowly at first they started moving their bodies together along with the beat of the music, she could feel his breathing was still labored and feel the beat of the drums inside her chest.

After a little while he slid a hand around to her lower back and pulled her closer to him, her eyes locked with his and she smiled at him.

The longer they stayed in each other's arms the more they got into the music and moving their bodies together.

Looking up at him again she saw he was slowly moving his face to hers.

Just as she started to move in closer, his eyes left hers and looked past her as he saw Scott run from the party.

Looking around she didn't see anything.

"Are you okay?" She asked, as he stopped dancing with her.

"I'm fine… I'll be right back." He said as he quickly let go of her and went after Scott.

"What's going on?" Allison asked as she walked up to Avery.

"Hell if I know, but I'm pretty sure we both just got ditched." She said as she pulled her long, wavy blonde hair up into a messy bun.

"Scott said he'd back." Allison said.

The two girls made their way through the party and out the front door where they saw Scott get in his moms car and drive off, followed only moments later by Stiles in his jeep.

"They really just left us here." Allison said in disbelief.

"And I was actually going to kiss him too." Avery said as she angrily crossed her arms over her chest.

"Allison?" A guy a few years older than them said as he walked up to them.

"Yeah?" She asked.

Avery looked him over and smiled.

"I'm Derek, a friend of Scott's. He asked me to give you ride home, he wasn't feeling well." The man said, glancing over at Avery who continued to stare and smile at him.

"Oh…" Allison said as she started to walk over to him.

Avery waited until they were gone before heading inside of the party, literally running right into Teagan.

"Whoa, T… watch where you're going." Avery joked, her smile immediately falling at seeing her friends face.

"You're lipstick is smeared…" Avery pointed out with arched eyebrows.

"Oh my god…" Teagan breathed out as she wiped her lips.

"Who were you making out with?" Avery asked her.

"No one." Teagan lied.

"Lies. Just tell me, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone." Avery assured her.

"Just stop with the 20 questions, I don't want to talk about it." Teagan snapped.

Sighing she said, "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you."

"That asshole… I'm going to kick his ass!" Avery angrily yelled as she looked around for Jackson.

"What?" Teagan asked, startled by her outburst.

"Jackson… that dick!" she yelled louder.

"Please, stop it. This night has been hard enough… let's just talk about something else." Teagan begged her friend.

"Okay." Avery said, holding down her anger.

"Uhh, Allison was dancing with Scott and then left the party with some really hot older guy. He was tall, dark hair… and he had this really intense stare and like over-whelming presence." Avery rambled.

"Enough about guys… can we just go please?" Teagan asked hopeful.

"Yeah, sure. Stiles ditched me anyways." She said as she started towards the door.

As they neared her 1965 sleek black Mustang, Avery gasped "Derek!"

"Who?" Teagan asked looking around them.

"The guy she left with Derek Hale!" Avery continued to realize.

"I thought he left town, years and years ago." Teagan argued.

"He did, like 6 years ago after the fire… I wonder why he's back?" Avery wondered out loud.

"Maybe it wasn't even him." Teagan said with a shrug.

"Oh, no. it was him… I'd know him anywhere." Avery assured her.

"How?" She questioned.

"Don't you remember? I used to have like the biggest crush on him, that's why we always played in the woods by their house because his family would send him out to tell us to go home." Avery recalled.

"That's why you always took us to the woods?" Teagan asked surprised.

"Duh." Avery said shaking her head.

"You were like… 10, and you had a crush on him?" Teagan asked.

"T… you should see him now. I mean… wow, he's fine." Avery said with a wink as she got into her car.

Teagan looked around them before she got into the car with her best friend.

* * *

**A/N- I really hope you guys all liked the chapter! ^_^ The story and drama really picks up from here on out. We're still having so much working together and writing this!**

**If you haven't yet, check out our Polyvore accounts where we both make sets and banners to go along with out stories. Miss E Charlotte and I have our links up on our profiles.**

**Also, don't forget to check out her stories, you won't regret it.**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're reading and liking the chapter. We really appreciate the support. ^_^**


	6. I Can't Afford to Care

**I Can't Afford to Care – Chapter 6**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery pulled up to the gas station on her way to school. After filling up the tank, she headed inside to buy a pack of gum and a bottle of water.

As she walked back out she saw Derek Hale, pumping the gas for his car and looking at her car.

"It's a 65 Mustang." Avery said proudly as she confidently walked up to him.

"I know." He said nodding.

Avery flashed him a wider smile as she opened the door and put her bag inside.

"It's yours?" He asked, a little surprised.

"It's my baby." Avery replied.

Derek nodded and looked back to the gas pump.

"You're Derek Hale, right?" She asked as she walked over to him and leaned against his car.

"Do I know you?" He asked, looking over at her with raised eyebrows.

"I'm Avery Dukate. You probably don't remember me; you're a few years older…" She said her voice trailing off.

He didn't respond as he pulled the gasoline nozzle from his car and placed it back on the pump.

"You want to get breakfast?" She asked with a flirtatious smile.

"Don't you have school or something?" He asked her, knowing she was younger than him.

But even knowing that, he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering over her short jean skirt and tight black tank top with a brown leather cropped vest over it.

"Yeah, but I'd blow it off for you." She said as she leaned in and lowered her voice some.

She smiled to herself when she saw his eyes drift over her body again.

He opened his mouth to say something when he saw another car pull into the station.

"Rain check." He said quickly before he got in his car and sped off.

Avery sighed and turned around to see Allison in the passenger seat of the car.

At seeing her friend Allison got out of the car and waved.

"Hey!" Allison called.

"Morning." Avery waved back.

"Dad, this is Avery… one of my friends from school." Allison introduced them as Avery walked up to them.

"It's nice to meet you." Mr. Argent said extending a hand as he watched her closely, wondering why she had been talking to Derek.

"Like wise." Avery responded.

"Hey, I'm heading to school if you want a ride." She offered her friend.

"Sounds great. Thank you." Allison said as she grabbed her books from inside the car.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Her dad said.

"It's just a ride to school." Allison said looking at him confused.

"Don't worry; I've never been in an accident." Avery said before getting in her car with Allison and leaving.

Mr. Argent looked around the gas station, not happy about the fact that his daughter was friends with someone who knew Derek Hale.

"Are you friends with Scott's friend?" Allison asked.

Derek lied and said he was Scott's friend when he took her home form the party.

"Not really… but I'm hoping to be more than just friends soon." Avery said as she checked her mirrors and switched lanes.

"Wow." Allison said with a laugh.

"What? He's hot." Avery said.

"I mean… wow, you got over Stiles quick." Allison corrected her earlier statement.

"I wasn't really into Stiles that much, and anyways he ditched me." She reminded her.

"Scott called me the next day and apologized, I guess he got sick." Allison said.

"You really like him already, don't you?" Avery asked as she pulled into the parking lot at school.

"I think so, I hadn't planned on liking anyone when I moved here… but he's different." Allison said as the girls walked into the school.

"Yeah, I kind of thought Stiles might have been too." Avery said quietly as she waved bye to her friend and headed to her first class.

"Hey." Stiles greeted as Avery took her seat beside him at the lab table.

She ignored him.

"Avery." Stiles said looking at her.

"Class is about to start." She said.

"In like 5 minutes, are you really not going to talk to me?" He asked her.

"You up and ditched me. You said you'd be right back and then you left." She reminded him.

"I know and I have a good explanation." He said.

"I'm not really interested in your explanation, it doesn't matter." She said finally looking at him.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? Things we're great." He said, as he remembered back to their dance.

"Yeah, things were going great. In fact, I was like seconds away from kissing you. But you blew your shot, so save the excuses." She said, her voice calm as she spoke.

His eyes widened as he thought of how close he had come to kissing her.

"Let me make this up to you." He pleaded.

"How?" She asked, raising her eyebrows as she leaned in closer to him.

His breathing grew a little shallow as he looked at her.

"However you want." He quickly stuttered out.

Sighing at his vague response, Avery leaned back to her own seat.

"What's wrong?" He asked seeing her shift in attitude.

"You, you're wrong for thinking you get another shot." She breathed out, wishing he'd just be more confident and forward with her.

"But you just…" He started to say but she hushed him as the teacher began their lessons for the day.

**~()~**

After school, Teagan made her way out to the parking lot and got behind the wheel of her new car that her dad had bought her over the weekend.

He figured it was time for her to have her own car so she wouldn't have to keep getting rides from her friends.

Now was a great time for her to have her own car since all of her friends were either at lacrosse practice or were staying at school to watch practice which was the last place she wanted to be today.

After what happened between her and Jackson at the party it was best to keep her distance from him from now on, which was probably for the best anyway since being around him and not being with him was becoming way too hard.

She didn't know how to be just friends with him, sure they had started out as friends but then she went and fell in love with him; which was great up until they had to break up because she and her parents were moving.

Telling him good-bye was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. She still remembered the day she told him she was moving.  
**- Flashback -**  
_Teagan was sitting at the head of her bed, with her back against the headboard. She had her knees pulled up to her chest as tears fell from her eyes. _

_She had not moved in the last ten minutes or so since her parents came into her room to break the bad news to her. They were moving. _

_In a few short weeks they were moving to the east coast because of her dad's 'incredible job opportunity', her parent's words, not hers. Now she had to pack up her life and leave everything behind; her home of fourteen years, her home town, her friends and her boyfriend of two years, Jackson._

_As he crossed her mind she felt a fresh set of tears falling from her eyes. She didn't know how she was going to tell him bye, just the thought of never being able to see him again made her feel like her heart was breaking into a million of pieces. _

_To some people it might seem stupid to be this heartbroken over a relationship. She was sure that some people would probably say she was too young to really be in love, that what they have was just puppy love, but those people were wrong._

_Sure she knew most people didn't grow up and marry their first love like her parents had, but she knew what she and Jackson had was more than just a crush. It was something real and she knew that from the moment he kissed her during Avery's boy/girl birthday party and now she was going to have to experience her first heartbreak._

_With Jackson heavily on her mind, she heard a soft knock at her bedroom window and knew it was him. She had never been as happy to see him as she was now. She needed him now more than ever._

_She heard the bedroom window open and knew he was climbing in, which is what he did just about every night after her dad went to work and her mom went to bed. _

_She wasn't allowed to have boys in her bedroom, so she would call him when the coast was clear then he would come over and they would watch TV or make out for a couple of hours before he would go back home. Thankfully he only lived a few streets over from her._

_"Hey, what's going on? You never called and.." _

_Teagan didn't let him finish his sentence as she quickly jumped up from the bed and rushed over to him, throwing herself into his arms as she began to cry again. _

_He held her tight, unsure of what was going on, but as he felt her trembling in his arms he became concerned. He had never seen her this upset before._

_"Hey, hey, hey. Baby, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Jackson asked, as he pushed her away a little so he could see her tear stained face. _

_She nodded her head as she tearfully said, "We-we're moving."_

_"What? What do you mean moving?" Jackson asked confused. _

_"We're mo-moving to the east coast." Teagan cried. _

_"When? Why?" Jackson asked, feeling his heart break at her words._

_"In a few weeks." Teagan said as she took a step back from him to wipe the tears off of her face, "This man that dad went to college with lives there and he's going to start his own law firm and he said if we came out there that dad can be his partner. Mom and dad think it's a 'great' opportunity. They said with the money he will be making that we won't ever have to worry about money ever again and mom can stay home which is what she had always wanted to do. It's their dream come true but my nightmare." _

_"Damn, this sucks." Jackson mumbled as he walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. _

_Teagan nodded her head in agreement as she sat down beside him. She reached out to grab one of his hands on held it tightly in hers, wishing that she never had to let him go. _

_He looked over at her and tried to think of a way to keep from losing her. He didn't want her to leave, she was his best friend, his first love and he couldn't imagine his life without her in it. _

_"What if you stayed with Avery? I'm sure her dad won't care. Or maybe you can stay at my house." Jackson suggested._

_She shook her head and said, "I already suggested that. They're not going to let me stay behind. I have to go with them." _

_"Oh." Jackson said sadly as he looked down at their joined hands. _

_"Y-you know what this means right?" She asked quietly. She didn't want to say it, but she knew it had to be said. _

_Jackson sighed as he nodded his head. He didn't want to say the words either, but he knew exactly what it meant. They had to break up. _

_"B-but I'll be here for a few weeks longer. We don't have to say bye tonight." Teagan said softly, as she turned to face him. _

_"We won't say it tonight then." Jackson said, as he reached forward to wipe the tears from her face. _

_She leaned against his hand with a small smile on her face as she felt a tingle down her spine from his touch. She knew no one would ever make her feel the way he did with one simple touch. She was going to miss that feeling and she wanted more. She needed more. _

_She opened her eyes to look at him and knew in that moment what she wanted, she wanted him. She leaned forward and softly pressed her lips against his for a gentle kiss. _

_She took him by surprise when she stood up for a moment to straddle him as she deepened the kiss. She reached down to grab the bottom of his t-shirt then pulled it over his head and tossed it on the bed._

_Jackson pulled back for a moment in shock. They had had some heated make out sessions in the past, but this was something new, this was something that could get out of hand very quickly. _

_He reached up to grab her hands which were intertwined in his hair, stopping her from going a step further. It's not that he didn't want her, he just didn't want her to do something she would regret later when she wasn't as upset._

_"What are you doing?" Jackson asked her._

_"I love you." Teagan breathed out. _

_"I love you too but..."_

_"No, you don't understand." Teagan said interrupting him. When he shot her a confused look she said, "I love you and I-I want you Jackson. Tonight."_

_"Are you sure?" Jackson asked nervously. He had been dreaming of this moment for a while, but was still very nervous about losing his virginity._

_Instead of answering him, she smiled before leaning forward to kiss him again, which was the only reassurance he needed._

**- End Flashback –**

That was the one and only time she had -had sex. To this day, no one but Jackson knew about that night. She never even told Avery about it. It's not that she regretted it or anything; it was just a sweet moment that she wanted to keep to herself.

She almost told her mom one time because she knew she would understand, but she never got around to it. She kept telling herself she would tell her mom one day then the next thing she knew, her mom was gone.

Now more than ever she wished her mom was here. She could really use her advice right now.

With that thought in mind, she pulled her car into the empty parking lot beside the cemetery then as if in a daze walked over to the newest grave where her mom's ashes were. She looked down at the tombstone and felt her eyes water as she read her mother's name.

"Hi Mom." Teagan whispered.

With a sigh, she kneeled down in front of the tombstone and said, "God, I miss you so much. As much as I love being back home it is just weird being here without you. Everything I see reminds me of you."

"It's not fair, mom. You shouldn't have gone on that run in the woods alone. You should have taken me or Aspen with you. You shouldn't be gone. You should be here with us. You were taken way too soon from me and Dad and we need you."

She cried, then added softly, "I really need you right now mom. I-I did a bad thing recently."

She took a deep breath before continuing quietly, "I kissed Jackson and I know that was wrong cause he's with Lydia now. I'm ashamed to admit it but I-I liked it. God, mom, I still love him. I never stopped but I can't be with him. He has moved on and-and it hurts. It hurts like hell and I don't know how to do this. I need you to help me get over this. I need you to tell me how to get over him and just be a friend. I didn't know I needed to ask you this. What else do I need to know that I never got to ask you?"

Even though she knew her mom couldn't answer, she still paused for a moment, wishing she could hear her voice one last time. As the silence continued she leaned forward and folded her arms across the top of the tombstone then laid her head down as she began to cry.

"I don't know what to do mom. I don't know what to do." She cried, "I told Avery I was done with guys and love. She of course laughed because she doesn't understand but I know you would and I already know what you would say. You would say to keep my heart open and love will find me, but I'm not sure if I can do that cause it hurts just too damn much. I wish you could give me some kind of sign. I need you to tell me what to do, mom please, please tell me what to do."

Suddenly she heard her cellphone ringing and quickly sat back on her heels to slip it out of her pocket. She looked down at the caller id and felt guilt over take her when she saw it was Lydia calling.

She hated to ignore her, she was already a crappy friend for kissing Jackson behind her back, but she just couldn't bring herself to talk to Lydia right now. But she promised herself she would call her back later.

She slipped the phone back in her pocket then looked back at the tombstone and said, "I'll be back to talk to you soon, I promise. I love you, mom."

Teagan kissed the tips of her fingers then touched the top of the tombstone before standing up. She turned around, planning on leaving, but froze when she saw Isaac across the cemetery working.

She glanced over her shoulder at the tombstone with a small smile on her face as she whispered, "Thanks mom."

She turned her head back to look at Isaac, who didn't notice anyone watching him, then after taking a deep breath she made her way over to him. Isaac was squatted down as he pulled weeds away from a tombstone.

When he heard someone walking up to him, he glanced up and was surprised to see Teagan standing before him with a smile on her face. He had seen her earlier at her mom's grave site, but was surprised she took the time to approach him.

He could only assume she needed help with something. He couldn't think of another reason why she would want to talk to him.

"Do you uh, do you need help with something?" Isaac asked, as he nodded toward where her mom was buried.

"What?" Teagan asked confused then when she realized what he was asking she added, "Oh no, everything is good over there. You're doing a great job. I was just visiting mom and saw you over here so I thought I would come over and, you know, say hey. So, hey."

"Hey." Isaac said back with a surprised smile, "Yeah, I saw you over there but I didn't want to interrupt or anything."

"Thanks." Teagan said, "I'm sure it probably seems stupid talking to a tombstone."

"No it's not. I see people doing it all the time. Besides I still talk to Camden too." Isaac admitted shyly as he nodded his head towards the tombstone he had been cleaning around.

She glanced down and looked at his brother's grave then looked back up at him with watery eyes as she asked, "Does it help?"

"I like to think it does. I mean it's not the same as having him here, of course." Isaac answered, then softly chuckled, "But then again when he was here he never shut up long enough for me to talk so now I get to do all the talking."

Teagan giggled at his comment then said, "I actually kind of remember your brother."

"Really?" Isaac asked surprised since Camden was a few years older than them.

"Avery had a crush on him briefly and would drag me to the swim meets just so she could stalk him." Teagan said with a laugh.

"I never knew that." Isaac said as he laughed, "Sometimes dad would let me tag along and go to the meets, but I didn't get to go to all of them."

"We probably saw each other there and don't remember." Teagan pointed out.

"I would have remembered seeing you." Isaac admitted shyly.

She smiled at his words and felt a fluttering in her stomach at the look he was giving her; she recognized that look and knew exactly what it meant. She bit her bottom lip and glanced down at the ground as she felt her cheeks heat up and knew she was blushing.

Isaac silently cursed himself when he saw her glance down, assuming he had freaked her out by his comment. He cleared his throat then said, "I should uh, I should get back to work."

"Oh ok." Teagan said feeling a little disappointed. She was actually enjoying her talk with him and wouldn't have minded talking a little longer, but if he had to work then he had to work and she didn't want to get him in any trouble.

She gave him a small wave good-bye then turned around and made her way towards her car in the parking lot with a smile on her face. Maybe talking to her mom helped out more then she thought.

**~(After lacrosse practice)~ **

Avery's black high-heels clicked on the floor of the hallway as she walked towards the boy's locker room.

Stiles had asked her to meet him there after practice so they could figure out when they were going to work on their project for class.

As she neared the locker room she slowed her movement as she heard metal crashing and a low growling sound.

Looking around the hallway, she frowned when she didn't see anyone else.

As she reached the door she heard Stiles yell "Stop it!" followed by another loud metal crash as if the rows of lockers were being thrown across the room.

Against her better judgment she pulled open the door as her light brown eyes widened in terror as she saw Scott leap off the top of a row of freestanding lockers.

"Get back!" Stiles yelled to her as he grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall and sprayed Scott as he quickly backed out of the room pushing her with him.

Her heart raced inside of her chest, it was Scott that she had seen; but it didn't look like him at all.

"What happened?" Scott asked as his face turned back to normal and he looked at them confused.

Stiles was still breathing hard as he looked over to Avery who was still in a state of shock.

"What the hell; what just happened? What the hell are you?" She yelled franticly as she looked at Scott and then to Stiles.

* * *

**A/N- I really hope you guys all liked the chapter! ^_^ We're still having a blast working together and writing this!**

**If you haven't yet, check out our Polyvore accounts where we both make sets and banners to go along with out stories. Miss E Charlotte and I have our links up on our profiles.**

**Also, don't forget to check out her stories, you won't regret it. ^_-**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're reading and liking the chapter. We really appreciate the support. ^_^**


	7. Who's Laughing Now?

**Who's Laughing Now?– Chapter 7**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery gripped the steering wheel as she raced down the road. She still couldn't believe what she just saw. Scott's a werewolf, a freaking werewolf.

She suddenly felt like she was trapped in a bad horror movie. Stiles jokingly tried to explain things, by saying that Scott just had a really bad temper and a rapidly fast facial hair growth problem, which caused her to roll her eyes and slap his shoulder.

Finally Scott took a step toward her, causing her to take a quick step back in fear, as he explained the night they were in the woods searching for the half of a dead body, that he was bit by something.

She had a million of questions but was in too much shock to ask anything, then the rest of the team began to come inside the locker room, giving her the distraction she needed to run away, which is exactly what she did, she ran as fast as she could to the parking lot and jumped into her car before pulling out of the student parking lot.

While behind the wheel, she closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to get the image of a werewolf Scott trying to kill her and Stiles out of her mind. When she heard a horn blow, she snapped her eyes open and gasped when she saw she was in the other lane and headed towards a pick-up truck.

She quickly pulled the wheel to get the car back in the right lane. Apparently now was not a good time to be behind the wheel. Thankfully she was close to Teagan's house, which was perfect actually.

She needed Teagan's level head to convince her that she was just seeing things. Maybe all of this was just a trick that Stiles was playing on her. He seemed like the type of weirdo that would do something like that, especially since she had told him before that she doesn't scare easily.

Once in front of Teagan's house, she slammed on the breaks, threw the car into park, and flung the driver side door open as she ran up the walkway and up to the front door.

She glanced over at the driveway and saw that her dad's car was gone then without knocking or ringing the doorbell, she opened the door and ran up the stairs two at a time until she reached Teagan's closed bedroom door.

She threw the door open and rushed inside, taking Teagan and even Aspen by surprise. Teagan, who was sitting in the middle of her bed doing her homework with ear buds in her ears, ripped the ear buds out with a gasp.

She laid her hand over her chest then said, "Jeez Avery, did you ever hear of knocking?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Avery apologized, as she tried to catch her breath, then said, "but I needed to talk to you... now!"

"What's wrong?" Teagan asked with a worried expression. She had never seen Avery this pale and shaky before.

Avery rushed over toward the bed and jumped on it, sitting on her knees, as she said, "I just almost had a wreck."

"What? Oh my God! Are you ok? What happened?" Teagan called out, as she sat up straight and looked over her best friend, but was relieved to see she was physically ok.

Avery waved it off like it was no big deal then said. "Yeah I'm fine, but that's not why I came here."

Teagan lowered her eyebrows in confusion, if Avery wasn't that upset about the almost wreck then what was so bad to make her appear so spooked right now.

"Avery, what is going on?" Teagan asked worriedly, as she laid a hand on top of one of Avery's trembling hands.

Avery took a deep breath to control her emotions then said, "Ok you remember how I was supposed to meet Stiles after practice?"

Teagan nodded her head and waited for the other girl to continue her story. Avery opened her mouth to speak but before she could the two girls heard her cell phone ringing. She reached into the pocket of her black leather jacket and pulled out her phone.

"Not now Lydia." Avery mumbled when she looked at the caller id. She dropped the phone onto the bed then looked up at a worried Teagan.

She ignored the ringing sound as she said, "As I was saying. I was supposed to meet Stiles by the locker rooms after practice since that asshole Mr. Harris just had to speak to me after school today. Anyway, as I was walking toward the locker room I heard..."

She was cut off by the ringing cell phone again. With a groan she looked down to see that it was Lydia again. She should have known ignoring her wouldn't stop her from calling. Lydia was the type who hated to be ignored.

"What?" Avery barked, as she answered the phone.  
"About time someone answers their frigging phone." Lydia said back sounding annoyed. "Where the hell have you and Teagan been? I've been calling you both for like ever." She added.

Avery rolled her eyes then put the cell on speaker phone for Teagan to hear, then said, "We're both here now so what's so important?"

"Jackson is in the hospital." Lydia said vaguely.

Teagan felt her heart drop at those five words. What happened? Was he ok? Was it bad? Would she ever be able to see him or talk to him again? These were the questions running through her head but she couldn't get her mouth to open to ask them.

All she could think about was the worst case scenario and the fact that the last time she spoke to him, she told him to leave her alone. What if those were the last words she would ever speak to him?

"What happened?" Avery asked, when she noticed Teagan was too upset to ask herself.

"If you two would have answered your phones earlier you would know." Lydia snapped.

"Just tell us." Avery snapped back.

"He... Oh wait, here comes the doctor, got to go." Lydia said, as she ended the call before either girl could say anything else.

"Bitch." Avery mumbled, as she looked down at her phone until Teagan finally spoke, as she jumped up from her bed.

"What the hell?" Teagan called out, then added as her eyes began to water, "Is he ok or not?"

Avery quickly called Lydia back then groaned when her voice mail picked up.

"Great, now she's not going to answer." She said angrily, as she ended the call.

Teagan didn't say anything as she rushed inside her closet and changed out of her pajama bottoms into a pair of blue jeans then slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers.

She was throwing on a hoodie on top of the tank top she was wearing as she came back out of the closet and walked over toward the desk in the corner to grab her car keys.

"What are you doing?" Avery asked, as she stood up from the bed.

"I got to go to him, Avery. I just have to." Teagan said, as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey, look, calm down. I'm sure he's fine and nothing is wrong. You know how dramatic Lydia can be." Avery pointed out.

"I know and you're probably right, but this is Jackson. I can't just sit here and wait for Lydia to stop being a bitch and tell us what is wrong, I got to see him or I will worry like crazy." Teagan explained without taking a breath.

"Ok, ok, we'll go. But I'm driving." Avery said, as she took the keys from Teagan's hands.

Teagan nodded her head in thanks then called out to Aspen to stay before turning around to walk out the bedroom door until a thought crossed her mind. She quickly turned around to face Avery then said, "Wait a minute... what were you going to say before? You looked terrified and was about to tell me something."

"It's not important now. Let's just get to the hospital." Avery said, as she turned her back around and lightly pushed her toward the bedroom door.

"You'll tell me later though right?" Teagan asked, as she glanced over her shoulder to look at her.

"Yeah, later." Avery promised, as she led her friend out of the house and to her car.

Now that more time had passed Avery was sure that the whole thing was nothing but a joke and she made it her mission to kick both boy's asses the next time she saw them, but for now, she needed to take care of her best friend. That is what was important.

Many minutes later, both girls ran inside the hospital and over to the front desk asking for Jackson.

All the receptionist would tell them was he was in the emergency room, which didn't help Teagan's nerves one bit. Avery thanked the woman before grabbing Teagan's arm and pulling her down a hallway that would take them toward the emergency room. The two decided to split up as they searched for either Jackson or Lydia.

Teagan took the right side and ran down the hallway, looking for someone who could point her in the right direction.

She ran past a room then skidded to a stop when she heard someone call out her name, but it wasn't just anyone who called it, it was Jackson.

She quickly turned around and ran into the room she'd just passed by and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him sitting on a hospital bed. Other than a sling on his arm, he looked completely fine.

"What are you doing here?" Jackson asked. Not that he minded seeing her, he was actually very happy to see her right now, he just wasn't sure why she was there.

She didn't say anything as she walked up to him and stood in front of him. She had never been as happy to see him as she was right now.

She stood still for a moment, just looking at his handsome face before she fell forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against the crook of his neck like she always used to do.

Jackson bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out in pain when she accidentally hurt his sore shoulder, but he would take the pain if it meant he got to hold her.

He didn't know what came over her but he wasn't going to question it as he wrapped his good arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. He rested his head against her with a content sigh.

He had never felt as whole as he did when he held her. It was like she was made just for him and anytime she was near, his body came alive. He never felt that with Lydia or any other girl.

She held on to him a few minutes longer until she realized what she was doing then took a quick step back. She reached up and wiped away the few tears from under her eyes before clearing her throat and apologizing to him.

Jackson shook his head, as if to tell her there was no need for apologies, then he asked her, "Are you ok?"  
She chuckled at his question, finding it funny that he was asking her that when he was the one in a sling. She laid a hand on his good shoulder then said, "I should be asking you that."

"I'm ok. McCall got lucky and caught me off guard. I landed on my shoulder but the doctor said it's just a separated shoulder." Jackson explained then added, "He wants me to keep it in a sling for a few days but I should still be able to play in the game this weekend."

"That's good." Teagan said with a smile. Happy to hear things were not as bad as she feared.

Jackson smiled back, glad that she was right there in front of him. That had to mean something right?

He rested his good hand on her hip then said, "Not that I'm complaining at all, but what are you doing here? How did you find out?"

"Lydia called. She didn't tell me what was wrong, all she said was that you were in the hospital and I thought..." She began to say, then paused a moment to take a deep breath before continuing softly, "I thought something bad had happened."

He continued to smile at her words.

If she thought something bad happened and she rushed to his side that could only mean one thing. She still loves him and he couldn't be happier about that.

Jackson removed the hand from her hip and laid it on her cheek as he said, "I'm glad you're here."

Teagan smiled as she leaned against his hand. She saw him looking from her eyes to her lips a few times and bit her bottom lip. She hated to admit it but a part of her wished she could lean forward and kiss him.

It was something she would have done a million times while they were dating, but those days were over.

With that thought in mind she took several steps back, putting some distance between them before they made another mistake like they did at the party.

She tried to ignore the disappointed look on his face and folded her arms across her chest then said, "I should probably go find Avery. I just wanted to check on you, but I should get home now. Still have a lot of homework to do."

"Teagan..." Jackson began to say, but before he could say anything else Lydia walked into the room.

Without a word the red head walked over to Jackson and kissed him, causing Teagan to turn her head, not being able to watch them make out.

"I just talked to the doctor and he said you can go home now." Lydia announced, then added, "I asked him if he would give you a cortisone shot before the game later this week but he's a bit of a tight-ass and wouldn't do it. Luckily I know another doctor we can ask."

Before either one could comment, Lydia turned to look at Teagan and added, "I saw Avery talking to that loser she got stuck with as a chemistry partner earlier so you might want to go save her."

"Ok. I'll go find her." Teagan said.

"Thanks for checking on my boyfriend by the way. But I got it from here." Lydia said with a snobby tone, letting the girl know Jackson was hers now.

Teagan nodded her head, getting the point and not going to fight her on it.

She gave the two a friendly good-bye, seeing the annoyed look Jackson shot Lydia then turned around and left the room.

She was not going to be a home wrecker and break the two up. She left, he moved on and now she just had to deal with it no matter how much it hurt.

**~()~**

Hearing her phone go off in her pocket, Avery looked at it to see that Teagan had texted her: _Found Jackson, he's going to be okay. He got a separated shoulder in practice._

Avery sighed with relief, initially she hadn't been worried when Lydia called her but after Teagan started to panic, she was growing increasingly worried.

She and Jackson had their moments where they fought and couldn't get along, but at the end of the day he was still one of her best friends.

"Avery…" Stiles said as he walked up to her.

Turning around she started walking towards the waiting room.

"Hey!" He called after her, as he hurried to catch up with her.

"What?" She asked, irritation already apparent in her voice.

"Is everything okay?" He asked her.

"Jackson's got a separated shoulder but he'll be fine." She explained, wondering why he was at the hospital.

"I came here looking for you; I figured with you two being friends I'd find you here." He admitted.

"I'm already forced to sit next to you in class every day; can't you leave me alone outside of school?" She asked a jolt of attitude in her voice.

After convincing herself that they had played a trick on her, she was mad at both Scott and Stiles.

"Look, I know you're not an idiot. I was so freaked out at the time that I could only come up with lame excuses at the time. But there's really no point in lying to you… I mean, you know what you saw." Stiles said as he nervously rubbed a hand over his short hair.

"What?" Avery asked, as her heart started to race from fear.

"Scott was telling the truth, the night we were searching for the body in the woods… something bit him. He hasn't been the same since." Stiles said, nodding his head as he spoke.

"A werewolf, your best friend is a freaking werewolf?" she gasped.

He looked at her confused.

"You really didn't put that together…" He said, his voice trailing off.

"I had convinced myself it was a joke, thanks for shattering my peace of mind!" She snapped.

"Oh, okay… we'll just go back to it being a joke. Just forget I was even here." Stiles said, as he glanced around the empty waiting room.

"The idea that I can forget this, is even more impossible than werewolves being real." She said as she shook her head and her hands started to shake again.

Stiles frowned as he looked at her; he wasn't sure how to make her feel any better.

"I finally won, I found something that freaks you out." He joked.

Her jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me? Scott is trying to kill people and you're happy about being able to one-up me?" She asked.

"It was a joke, kind of." He said quietly.

"I should go." She said as she started to walk away.

"Avery, you know you can't tell anyone." Stiles said, as he gently grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"I can't promise you that." She admitted, avoiding his eyes.

"What? No, you have to. It's dangerous, what if someone tried to kill him?" Stiles asked.

"He almost killed the both of us, Stiles." She reminded him.

"He's my best friend." Stiles argued.

"Who tried to kill you earlier today." She argued back as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What if it was Teagan? Or Lydia, or even Jackson? If it was any of your friends who got turned you'd want to keep them safe, right?" He tried to reason with her.

"Yeah, but…" she started to say when he cut her off.

"I'm trusting you with the truth, and Scott trusted you too when he explained what happened." He said.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Her light brown eyes locked with his, and she knew he was right. If any of her friends had been in Scott's position she'd do everything possible to protect them.

"Fine, I'll keep his secret… but he has to get himself under control. It might be dangerous for people to know his secret, but it's also dangerous for the people around him." She said quietly as a couple walked into the waiting room and sat down.

"I know." He agreed with her.

"Avery, hey are you ready to go…" Teagan's voice trailed off when she saw her friend and Stiles standing close and speaking in a hushed whisper.

"Sorry, I'll go grab a coffee or something." She quickly said, wanting to give them some privacy.

"It's cool, I'm ready to go too." Avery said as she turned and headed out the door without another word to Stiles.

Teagan looked at Stiles and gave him a small smile, before turning and hurrying after her friend.

After they got into Avery's car, Teagan was going to ask her what was going on with Stiles, but Avery broke the silence first.

"Do you feel better now; I told you it wasn't going to be anything serious." Avery said.

"I know, and I knew it at the time but I just let my feelings get the best of me… I was so worried, A." Teagan said, using her friends nickname.

"Feelings?" Avery asked with an arched eyebrow as she pulled out of the parking space.

Teagan stayed silent.

"T, don't tell me you're falling for him again." Avery said.

"I never stopped loving him." Teagan answered her voice soft.

"I know, but…" Avery's voice trailed off.

She didn't want either one of her friends to get hurt. But she knew Teagan loved Jackson, and sometimes it seemed like Lydia was just using him to increase her popularity.

"But, he's with Lydia now. So I can't go there, and I know that. I wouldn't do that to her." Teagan said, her words quiet as her eyes burned from tears.

Avery stayed silent, not sure what to say to her friend.

Quickly changing the subject, Teagan said "So you and Stiles seemed pretty cozy."

Avery pulled to a stop outside of her friend's house and looked over at her as she shut her car off.

Teagan's eyes widened as she saw how pale her friends face was.

"What were you guys talking about?" She pushed for answers.

"About the thing that happened at school." Avery said.

"You promised you'd tell me." Teagan reminded her.

"Scott tried to kill me and Stiles." Avery stated bluntly, not sure how to start the explanation.

She had promised Stiles she wouldn't tell anyone, but Teagan was her best friend and telling her best friend didn't count.

"Oh my god, did you call the cops? What the hell is wrong with him?" Teagan angrily shouted.

"No, we didn't call the cops. I can't tell anyone and you can't tell anyone either… it's too dangerous." Avery said.

"Is he threatening you?" Teagan gasped.

"No, he didn't have control at the time. The night that Stiles and Scott were in the woods looking for the body, Scott got bit." Avery breathed out, the story didn't sound any less crazy coming from her.

"You're not making any sense." Teagan said her forehead lined with concern.

"Scott got bit by a werewolf, and now he's turned into one." She clarified.

"You bitch!" Teagan exclaimed.

Avery looked at her shocked.

"I was seriously freaking out, A! I was like 3 seconds away from calling the police to get Scott arrested." She said.

"No, you don't understand. This isn't a joke!" Avery yelled.

Teagan managed a small smile and let out a laugh, "Mission successful, you seriously scared the hell out of me."

Avery was always saying things to make people uncomfortable or trying to freak people out.

"This isn't one of those times where I'm trying to scare you. I'm telling you the truth." Avery argued.

"Werewolves aren't real." Teagan said.

"I didn't think they were real either, not until I saw one with my own eyes. Scott McCall is a werewolf." Avery said, knowing how insane she sounded.

"I think you need to lay off the horror movies for a while." Teagan said.

"Damn it, T. I'm telling you the truth." Avery said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Why are you mad at me?" Teagan asked her.

"I'm not mad, I'm freaking out." Avery said as she rested her forehead on the steering wheel.

"And my own best friend doesn't believe me." She breathed out.

Seeing how upset Avery was, Teagan said "I believe you."

"You do?" Avery asked relieved.

Teagan nodded, "I believe that you believe you really saw something."

"But you don't actually believe me?" Avery asked.

Sighing Teagan said, "Why don't you come inside for a while, maybe we can watch a movie or something."

"No, it's okay. I've got a lot of homework… I just need to get home." Avery declined her offer.

Teagan opened the door of the car and started to get out, but she paused and turned to look at her friend "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I really got you though, didn't I?" Avery said, with a laugh.

She didn't want anyone to think she was crazy, so she tried to play it off like a joke.

Teagan frowned; she saw the real fear in her eyes when she was telling her about Scott.

"Goodnight A… I'll probably be up late, so call me if you need anything." Teagan said.

"Night T." Avery called after her.

Avery drove home with rock music blaring through her car speakers.

She turned the volume down as she turned onto her street.

As she got out of her car she took a deep breath of the cool, night air and looked up to the clear sky.

Locking up her car she turned around and jumped when she saw Derek.

"Oh my god, you scared the crap out of me." Avery blurted out.

Quickly composing herself she smiled wide and said, "What are you doing here?"

He had been at the hospital and heard her talking to Stiles; he knew she knew about werewolves now, and she appeared to have been friendly with Stiles.

Derek thought he could use her to help him convince Scott to not play in the lacrosse game.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said as he walked up to her.

His eyes moved from her smile to her low cut shirt, before meeting her eyes again.

"It's cool. It was more like you startled me, I'm not easily scared." She said, smirking to herself as she saw his eyes start to wander again.

"About that rain check… I'm in if you are." He said, referring to the conversation they'd had at the gas station.

Avery's heart raced with excitement; he smiled to himself at the sound of it.

"That sounds great, but I have this really important chemistry test first period and I can't miss it." She said, hating the fact that she was still in school and didn't want to seem too young for him.

"Not breakfast, I was thinking we could get dinner… tomorrow night." He said, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Dinner sounds perfect." She agreed, nodding as her smile grew.

She hadn't planned on giving up on pursuing him, but she hadn't expected him to show up out of the blue and ask her out.

"I'll pick you up at 6." He said.

She nodded and said bye to him as he walked back into the shadows.

* * *

**A/N- I hope you guys all liked the latest chapter. We're still having so much fun writing this!**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support more than you know**


	8. Daddy Issues

**Daddy Issues– Chapter 8**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

The next morning, Teagan walked down the hallway toward her locker.

As she opened the locker door, she placed her hand over her mouth to yawn. After all the drama with Jackson and Avery's cruel joke about werewolves, her sleep was restless as she was hit with nightmare after nightmare.

"Rough night?" Avery asked, as she walked up to her best friend, seeing her yawn.

Teagan nodded her head and yawned again as she reached inside her locker to grab the books she would need that morning.

She glanced over at Avery and remembered how scared she looked the night before and wondered how she was doing that day.

"How are you this morning?" Teagan asked.

"I didn't get much sleep either last night." Avery answered.

"Why?" Teagan asked concerned, she really hoped Avery wasn't going to start with the whole werewolf thing again.

The joke wasn't funny the first time and wasn't going to be funny this time either.

"Cause I was way too excited to sleep." Avery said, as she clapped her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet.

"What has you so excited?" Teagan asked with a laugh. She had just seen the girl the night before and couldn't think of anything that could have happened in that short period of time.

"You would never believe who was waiting for me at home last night. I guarantee you will never be able to guess, but go ahead and try." Avery said, with a smile.

"Uh... hmm, I don't know… Stiles?" Teagan guessed.

Avery shot her a look then asked, "Why in the hell would Stiles be at my house?"

Teagan shrugged then said, "I don't know. You two just looked cozy yesterday, plus there is the whole 'he likes you' thing."

"Ok let me rephrase that, why would I be happy about Stiles being at my house?" Avery asked.

"I don't know." Teagan said again, with a shrug.

"Exactly cause I wouldn't be happy about him stalking me, although I wouldn't put it past him. He probably does sit outside my house and watch me, the little perv." Avery said, thinking out loud and getting completely off the subject.

Teagan giggled at her friend then said, "Don't pretend like you don't like the attention. I know you A, and I know deep down, you love the fact that Stiles is all into you."

"We're getting way off the subject here." Avery said, not confirming or denying the comment.

Teagan laughed again, knowing that she was right, then said, "Okay, so if it wasn't Stiles at your house who was it?"

"Derek." Avery said with a wide smile.

"Seriously? He was at your house? Why?" Teagan asked surprised.

"To ask me out." Avery answered happily.

"Wow! That's just... wow." Teagan said in shock. She knew Avery had -had a crush on the older guy years ago, but never thought she would see the day that he would notice her friend, much less ask her out.

"I know, I seriously thought I was going to pass out when he asked me. But I played it cool while he was there, then afterwards did a happy dance in my front yard." Avery said with a laugh.

Teagan smiled, happy to see her friend so happy, then asked, "But wait, what about Stiles?"

"What about him?" Avery asked confused, then added, "and what is your obsession with him lately? Jeez, maybe you should be dating him."

Teagan rolled her eyes at the comment then said, "I'm not obsessed. He just seems like a nice guy and he really likes you A and I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Believe me a broken heart is not fun at all."

"I understand what you are saying, but don't worry, I have everything under control. Besides I'm more worried about your heart than anyone else." Avery said feeling concerned about her friend.

She glanced over Teagan's shoulders and saw exactly what her friend needed, looking back at Teagan with a smile, she said "But he looks like he can cure a broken heart."

Teagan turned her head to see what Avery was talking about and saw Isaac standing at his locker down the hall from them. She looked back at Avery and open her mouth to disagree but before she could Avery spoke up and said, "Go talk to him."

When Teagan shook her head, she added, "If you don't I will."

Teagan kept her mouth shut and raised her eyebrows, calling Avery's bluff, which she should have known was a bad idea.

As Isaac shut his locker and begin to walk toward them, heading for his homeroom, Avery shot Teagan a smirk then turned her head to call out Isaac's name, taking the boy by surprise.

He was even more surprised when Avery motioned for him to come over. He didn't think Avery had ever spoken to him before, much less knew his name.

He had thought about just ignoring her, thinking he had heard her wrong, maybe she called out a name similar to his and he misunderstood, but when he saw Teagan shoot him a friendly smile, he couldn't stop himself from walking toward her. It was like he was drawn to her.

"Hey Isaac." Avery said with a friendly smile to the scared boy.

Isaac pulled his eyes away from Teagan to look at Avery then said shyly, "Hi, uh A-Avery."

"Settle a bet for us." Avery lied, then added, "You think my friend Teagan is cute right?"

"Avery!" Teagan hissed, feeling her cheeks turn red from embarrassment. Leave it to Avery to try to play matchmaker.

"Ok fine. I can take a hint. You two crazy kids have fun." Avery said, as she took a few steps backwards, shooting the two a wink as she turned around and walked away.

"I'm sorry about Avery, she's really..." Teagan began to say.

"Bold and not very subtle." Isaac said, finishing her sentence.

"Exactly." Teagan said with a laugh, then added, "Avery has always known what she wanted and she always goes for it. I've always admired that about her. Even when she was little, she wasn't shy and she always took risks, which was the complete opposite of me. I think that's why we became such good friends. She pulled me out of my shell and taught me to be brave, you know?"

Isaac nodded his head then said, "You really missed her while you were gone, huh?"

"I did. A lot, actually, I mean sure we kept in touch but it just wasn't the same." Teagan said.

"What else did you miss?" Isaac asked, wanting to keep their talk going for as long as possible.  
"I missed all of my friends. I missed that rundown theater off of Lincoln Avenue that always showed old classic movies on Sundays. Oh and that Chinese place on the corner of Dalton and Brady street." Teagan answered, then added, "And as much as I hate to admit it, I actually kind of missed lacrosse too. The other school didn't even have it. It was so weird."

"So does that mean you are going to the game this weekend?" Isaac asked nervously.

Teagan paused for a moment before answering, as much as she did miss watching the games she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea.

She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing Lydia cheer for Jackson the way she use to or see them making out afterwards. She was so lost in her own thoughts it took her a minute to realize Isaac was talking again.

"... and coach said since I had improved a lot since last year that I can start in the first game." He added.

"That's great!" Teagan said honestly, then added playfully, "Well I guess since you are starting I kind of have to go now to cheer you on right?"

"Really?" Isaac asked surprised.

"Yeah, really. I'll be there." Teagan said, smiling. After the times recently that Isaac had been there for her, the least she could do was be there for him for his first game.

Isaac smiled back happily right as the bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. With a smile still on his face he suggested they walk to class together, which she accepted.

He reached out to grab her books as the two walked down the hallway together, never knowing someone had their eyes on them the whole time.

Jackson stood down the other end of the hallway and watched them, feeling his anger rise. He gripped his textbooks tightly and clenched his jaw when he saw her throw her head back and laugh at something the loser said to her.

He was not about to just sit back while Lahey took her from him. It was time to put Lahey in his place, remind him that Teagan was his and would always be his. With a plan in mind, Jackson smirked then turned around to walk down the hallway.

**~(Later that night)~**

Avery ran the straightener through her naturally wavy hair again as she looked in the mirror and smiled to herself.

For her date with Derek she had chosen a tight pair of dark burgundy jeans and a black corset styled, strapless shirt.

She applied another coat of eyeliner before she headed down the stairs, Derek would be there at any moment.

"Dad, have you seen my leather jacket?" Avery asked as she walked into the study.

"Which one?" Her dad, Richard asked her.

"The black one." Avery responded as she looked around the room.

"Aren't they all black?" He asked with a sigh as he closed his laptop and rubbed his eyes.

Her dad owned a bank and was always busy.

"Ha-Ha." Avery said with an eye roll.

"You're awfully dressed up." He said as he followed her from the room.

"I have a date, remember?" she said.

"No." He said as he shook his head.

"I told you before I left for school this morning." Avery said as she stopped searching for her jacket and frowned at him.

"I'm sorry, honey. I've had a lot on my mind lately with work and all." He apologized.

Avery nodded but didn't respond.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Richard asked her.

"Derek Hale." She answered.

"Isn't he a little older than you? He's got to be in his 20's by now." Richard said with a concerned look.

"Yeah, he's in his 20's." Avery responded smiling.

"You don't think that's a little too old… you're only 16." He said.

"I can take care of myself, have been for some time now." She breathed out as she headed into the kitchen.

She smiled as she found her leather jacket on the back of a chair at the table.

"Tell me about him." Richard said.

"Derek?" Avery asked.

"Yeah." He said nodding.

Avery smiled at her dad showing interest in her life.

"Well, I don't really know a lot about him yet but…" Her voice trailed off as her dads phone beeped, he pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at it.

"That's great honey." He said, not paying attention to her anymore.

"Yeah, I mean even though he kills women and tortures animals in his spare time; I think he's got potential. Don't you dad?" She asked to see if he was still listening.

"Yeah, he sounds great. Listen Avery, we'll talk about this later there's a problem with an account at the bank." He said as he called a number and put the phone up to his ear.

Avery tried not to be upset, she was used to her dad not paying attention to her or anything she did.

Most fathers wouldn't let their daughters dress in the revealing clothes she wore, and all of her friends had curfews while she could stay out as late as she wanted.

She cursed herself in her head for thinking he really might listen to her.

When she heard the doorbell ring she grabbed her purse and headed towards the entry way of their large house.

Richard opened the door and nodded for Derek to come inside as he rattled off some numbers to his bank manager on the phone.

Derek awkwardly stepped inside; he had hoped nobody would be at home but Avery, because he'd figured her parents would have a problem with the age difference.

"Derek, hey." Avery greeted with a smile as she walked past her dad ignoring him.

"Ready to go?" he asked her.

"You two have fun." Richard said to them.

Derek looked at him with a blank expression; this wasn't how he'd expected him to react.

Avery's dad headed into the other room without another word to them.

Once they were outside of the house and heading to his car, Derek said "You look great."

She smiled wide and said, "Thank you."

He tried to take his mind off of how her clothes were hugging her curves; he had only asked her on the date to convince her to help him with Scott.

But when they were in the car she looked over at him as he glanced at her and their eyes met, he could hear her heart start to race and he glanced down at her chest.

Shaking his head at himself he looked back at the road, sticking to his plan would have been a lot easier if she were wearing different clothes.

The car ride to the restaurant was silent and it was making Avery uncomfortable.

"I, uh, I didn't really expect you to take me up on the whole rain check thing." She admitted, breaking the silence.

Refusing to look over at her, he said, "Me either."

A look of confusion spread over her face at his words.

"Oh…" She said, her voice barely over a whisper as she turned her head and looked out the window.

After going to the restaurant and taking their seats, Avery watched him as he stared at the menu.

It almost seemed like he was purposely trying to avoid looking at her.

Slowly she took a compact from her purse and looked at herself in the mirror; she didn't see anything wrong with her make up.

"What did you mean when you said you didn't think you'd take me up on the rain check?" She bluntly asked him.

He glanced up at her, it was only the 2nd time they had really spent time around one another both times her forwardness caught him off guard.

"I'm sure I didn't mean it the way it sounded." He said, as his eyes again went to where her cleavage was showing at the top of the tight, corset styled shirt.

Immediately he looked back down to his menu.

"What does that even mean, don't you like me?" She asked him.

"Ready to order?" He asked, ignoring her question as he waved a waitress over to them.

She ordered her food and continued to stare at him as he appeared to look everywhere but at her.

"So… when you left Beacon Hills where did you go?" She asked him, trying to make conversation and hold his interest.

"Different places." He vaguely answered.

"Anywhere really cool?" she asked, wishing he'd look up at her.

"Not really." He replied.

"Is there anything you want to know about me?" She asked with a sigh at his apparent disinterest.

He was silent as he tried to figure out how he would bring up the werewolf subject to her.

When he didn't answer her, a look of sadness spread over her face and she looked back down to her plate of food the waitress had sat down for her.

She ate her food in silence, glancing up at him every so often to see if he was watching her, but he wasn't.

"You're friends with Scott McCall, right?" Derek asked her.

"No." she said, happy he was at least talking to her.

"What about his friend Stiles, you're friends with him right?" Derek pushed her for information.

"Not really." She said with a shrug.

"Great." Derek muttered shaking his head.

He'd thought for sure they were friends.

"Is there a reason you're asking me that?" She questioned, saddened as he looked back down to his plate and ignored her.

"Doesn't matter." He responded.

Taking a drink of her water she pushed her plate to the end of the table and crossed her arms on the table in front of her.

"So Derek, tell me… have you been this disinterested in everything since your family died?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

He looked up at her shocked.

"What did you just ask me?" He asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I mean you walk around with some Everest sized chip on your shoulder, and you seem to not really care about anything. So I'm just curious, were you always like this or is this a result of losing your family?" She asked, her tone emotionless.

He wasn't able to find words as he stared back at her.

"Oh I'm sorry, was it a bitch move to bring up your family on our first date? Because I think it was a bitch move to ask me out on a date when you apparently have no interest in me at all." She snapped.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said, getting angry at her.

"I do too." She argued, feeling her cheeks darken from anger.

"You think because your dad ignores you it's comparable to losing almost my entire family?" He asked, growing angrier with her.

"Are you kidding me right now?" She gasped, her light brown eyes wide as she tucked some of her straightened blond hair behind her ear.

"This was a mistake." He said, his voice almost in a growl as he scooted to the end of the booth.

"Damn right it was a mistake. If I'd wanted to be ignored by a guy, I would have just stayed home with my dad." She said as she stood up and faced him when he got out of the booth.

"I'm sorry you lost your family, and I'm sorry for bringing it up. But I lost my family in that fire too." She said as tears burnt her eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded to know, as his eyes bore into hers.

"Do you really not remember my mom being friends with your aunt?" she asked shaking her head in disbelief.

His angry look softened at her words.

"She was at my house the day of the fire…" He remembered out loud.

"Yeah, and even though my dad is still alive. I lost him that day too because he's buried himself in work to forget how much it hurts." She said as she blinked back tears determined not to mess her eye make-up up by crying.

Derek took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he started to say, "Avery…"

She turned and headed out of the restaurant.

It was only moments later that Derek caught up with her in the parking lot.

"I forgot about your mom." He admitted.

"It's fine…" She said trying not to think about her mother.

"It's really not. Look, I asked you out because I thought you were friends with Scott and Stiles, and I needed your help with something." He admitted to her.

Avery scoffed, "Great, well I guess that explains you ignoring me all night."

"I know that you know what Scott is." He said as he stood close and spoke in a low voice.

"Perfect, let me guess you're a werewolf too?" She said shaking her head in disbelief.

He nodded.

She let out a loud dry laugh. "This night just gets better and better." She said as she rubbed her forehead.

"If Scott plays in the game this weekend he could really hurt someone, maybe even kill them." Derek admitted to her.

"One of my best friends is on the team…" She said, thinking about Jackson.

"Then you understand why he can't play in the game." Derek said.

She listened to him as he explained that he was a werewolf by birth and in control of himself, unlike Scott who was freshly turned and not in control.

She nodded, "You didn't have to fake a date with me, you could have just asked for my help."

"I'm sorry." He said, his tone honest as he looked at her.

She looked around them in the parking lot.

"Let me take you home." He said as he nodded towards his car.

Nodding she walked over and got into his car without another word to him.

The entire drive back to her house was silent.

Derek kept looking over at her, the reason for the date might have not been personal for him. But now he was really wishing he'd just came to her for help with Scott and asked her out on a real date.

She was different from anyone else he'd ever met, and it was a nice change to have someone actually want to be around him.

Once they got her house he got out of the car with her.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she walked towards her front door.

"Walking you to the door." He stated.

"I'm able to find my own door thank you." She said quietly, wishing he'd just leave her alone.

She felt like such an idiot for being excited for their date.

The security light on the porch turned on when it sensed their movement, and she turned to face him.

"I was acting disinterested in you because I needed to stay focused." He admitted.

"Job well done." She said with a nod.

"But it's impossible to ignore you." He continued.

She looked at him confused.

"What are you saying?" She asked.

"The truth is, I could barely keep my eyes off of you tonight. I wish it had been a real date." He admitted to her as he looked at her in the eyes.

She felt her heart race at his words, but he had really hurt her feelings that night so she didn't let it show on her face.

"Goodnight." She said softly as she turned and faced her front door, taking her purse from her shoulder she tried to find her keys.

Grabbing her arm he spun her around until she faced him.

Not saying a word to her, he leaned down pressing a heated to kiss to her soft, pink lips.

She dropped her purse on the porch as she reached up and held onto the back of his head and neck, and leaned her body against him.

His hands rubbed firmly down her sides; he put his hands on her hips and pushed her backward until her back was against the front door, never separating his mouth from hers.

She moaned against his parted lips at him taking control of the situation.

The sound made his body tense, and their breathing grew labored as he continued to rub his hands over her clothed body.

Finally breaking the kiss, he looked at her as they both fought for their breath.

"Maybe we can try going on a date again." He said, his voice low as his face was still just inches away from hers.

Avery looked at his still damp lips before she swallowed hard and nodded, "Only if you promise not to bring Scott or Stiles up."

He nodded in agreement before he fiercely reclaimed her mouth with his own.

Immediately her senses were on fire, he slid an arm around her pulled her away from the door and held onto her lower back keeping her body pressed tight against his.

Avery quickly broke the kiss when she heard the front door open.

"I thought I heard a car." Richard said as he looked between his daughter and Derek, who were both still trying to catch their breath.

"I was getting ready to come inside." Avery assured him as she leaned down and picked up her purse.

Richard nodded and walked back inside of the house, leaving the door open for his daughter.

She smiled at Derek before walking inside her warm house and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! Really hope you all enjoyed the chapter. ^_^**

**If you haven't yet, check out our Polyvore accounts where we both make sets and banners to go along with out stories. Miss E Charlotte and I have our links up on our profiles.**

**Also, while you're on her page don't forget to check out her stories! **

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're reading and liking the chapter. We really appreciate the support. ^_^**


	9. Locked Up

**Locked Up– Chapter 9**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

The next morning, Avery walked down the hallway with a huge smile on her face. Her date with Derek was still heavily on her mind.

Sure the night didn't start off well, but he more than made up for it in the end with that kiss. She could swear that she was still feeling tingles throughout her body because of that kiss.

That boy definitely knew what to do and he did it well.

She couldn't wait to talk to Teagan later and give her all the details she was bursting to tell but first she had to deal with school and her first class of the day was Chemistry with the asshole Mr. Harris. But even he couldn't bring her down as she breezed into class on cloud nine and took her seat beside Stiles.

It didn't even bother her that Stiles was staring at her as if he noticed something different and was trying to figure out what it was.

Though he continued to stare at her even when the bell rang, she rolled her eyes then turned to face him as she hissed out, "What?"

Stiles' eyes widened and he began to stutter when he realized she had caught him. "You uh, you look... There's something different about you. You look happy."

"Are you saying I usually don't look happy?" Avery asked, then before he could answer she said, "I am always happy."

"No, right of course I just meant... you look..." He began to say.

"Different. Yeah I already heard that." Avery said, interrupting him.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something else but before he could, Mr. Harris spoke up to tell all the students to be quiet as he began to teach his class.

Since he lectured for most of the class period, the two didn't get to talk much more until close to the end when Mr. Harris told the class to begin working on their projects together quietly.

Stiles racked his brain as he tried to think of something for them to talk about. From the few times talking to her, he was quickly starting to learn that she liked when guys took initiative.

If you wanted to know something about Avery, you asked. If you wanted something from her, you asked. You couldn't wait for her to make the move or she would just move on to something else.

He cleared his throat as he worked up his nerve then asked her quietly, "So um, are you going to the game this weekend?"

She looked over at him in surprise, then said, "Of course. I never miss a game."

"I know, but I was just asking cause I was wondering if... um.."

"Are you trying to ask me something Stiles?" Avery asked, as she shot him a flirty smile.

Stiles' mouth dropped open as he tried hard to ask her out, but he couldn't do it. With one smile he lost his nerve, instead he said,"I was just wondering. I mean after the whole thing with Scott in the locker room I thought maybe you would be safer at home."

"I'm not going to hide all my life cause your best friend is a werewolf." Avery said quietly, then added, "besides don't you think it'll be best if Scott doesn't play?"

"If he doesn't play then coach will take him off first line." Stiles pointed out.

"But if he does play he could shift in front of everyone. Possibly hurt or kill people." Avery responded, then added, "besides with hunters after him it could get dangerous. Derek said…"

"Wait, Derek? How do you know Derek?" Stiles snapped.

"Um let's see, maybe cause I have lived here my whole life." Avery said sarcastically.

Stiles rolled his eyes at her tone then said, "yeah but I didn't think you knew him. When did you talk to him?"

"Last night." Avery answered like it was no big deal, but to the boy beside her it was a very big deal.

"L-Last night? Wait, did you two go on a date?" Stiles asked louder than he meant to.

After Mr. Harris shot them a look and told them to be quiet, Avery whispered, "Yes we did. He asked me out."

"You should stay away from him." Stiles warned her, feeling his heart break at the thought of them together.

"Why? Jealous?" Avery teased.

"No." Stiles lied, then added, "Because he's a killer."

Avery chuckled at the comment then said, "Yeah right Stiles. I don't believe you."

"If I'm lying then how come my dad just arrested him this morning?" Stiles said smugly.

"What?" Avery asked, as her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"It's true." Stiles said, feeling a little guilty with how he broke the news but he just wanted her far away from Derek.

"Derek wouldn't kill anyone." Avery argued.

"You don't know him, Avery." Stiles argued back.

"And neither do you." She snapped, as she gathered up her books as the bell began to ring.  
Before Stiles could say another word, she was out the door and on a mission; she had to help Derek somehow. Some people might think it was stupid but she honestly believed he was innocent.

Maybe it was because her mom and his aunt were good friends so she had heard about the Hale family from her mom and knew the type of people they were or maybe it was just something in his eyes when they went on their date.

He had a honest look about him and she was almost never wrong when her gut told her she could trust someone.

As she walked down the hallway she searched for her best friend; since Teagan's dad was a lawyer, maybe he could help out somehow.

She thought she was never going to find the girl until finally she saw her at her locker and rushed toward her.

"Teagan!" Avery called out, taking the girl by surprised.

"Hey, is everything ok?" Teagan asked, when she noticed her frantic friend.

"I need a favor. A big one." Avery said, as she tried to catch her breath.

"Ok what?" Teagan asked, but before Avery could answer the bell rang causing her to groan out loud. Normally she wouldn't care about the bell and risk being late, but she couldnt miss her next class again without seriously getting into trouble.

"I got to go, if I'm late again Ms. Tully is going to be pissed." Avery called out, as she took a few steps backwards.

Teagan nodded her head in understanding, she knew all about Ms. Tully, everyone did, she was not someone to mess with.

"Just tell me that you are ok?" Teagan called out.

"I am. It's not for me, it's for a friend, just trust me." Avery called out before turning around and rushing down the hall; leaving behind a very confused Teagan.

**~(Later that night)~**

"Hey T." Avery greeted as her friend got in the car.

"Hey, oh my god… it's so cold tonight." Teagan said with a shiver as she leaned forward and turned up the heat.

"I know… I never wear this many layers." Avery said with a small laugh.

They were almost to the school when Avery's phone rang; not recognizing the number she answered it.

Teagan listened to her best friend's side of the phone conversation, growing confused.

"Change of plans… we need to make a stop first. To pick Derek up." Avery said.

"Oh, I'm finally getting to meet the guy who's had you so distracted?" Teagan asked happily.

"Speaking of Derek, how did the date go? We've hardly talked since then." Teagan asked smiling.

"The date itself was kind of a bust to be honest, but when he took me home… he kissed me." Avery said smiling as she remembered the feeling of his lips against hers.

"Like a goodnight kiss?" Teagan asked, smiling.

She had missed having these conversations with Avery so bad while she had been away; the girls had talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same.

"No, like pinned against my front door with his hands all over me, set my senses on fire type of kiss." Avery explained.

Teagan looked over at her wide eyed.

"Seriously? He pinned you against your front door?" Teagan asked, shocked.

"He's a great kisser… like really great." Avery continued, as she pulled into a parking lot and turned around to head back the way they came.

"Wow A, I get it… believe me. I've now got the image burned into my brain, thanks." Teagan said, with a laugh.

"It was hot." Avery said as she looked over and playfully winked at her friend.

"At least it was until my dad came outside because he heard a car." She continued as she checked the mirrors and changed lanes.

"Boo, mood killer." Teagan said dramatically.

"But then he snuck inside, and spent the night." Avery said as she smiled a beaming smile.

"Oh Avery, I thought you said you were done with sex on the first date." Teagan said with a small frown.

Avery had always been a little reckless, and it had always worried Teagan. She knew most of it stemmed from Avery wanting attention from guys since her father had been too busy for her since she was 10.

"We didn't sleep together." Avery explained.

"Uh-huh. Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't sleep together." Teagan said disbelievingly.

Once Avery pulled to a stop at a red light she looked her best friend right in the eyes as she said, "I did not have sex with Derek Hale."

Teagan's eyes widened, her friend was telling the truth.

"We just talked." Avery added in with a heavy sigh as the car behind her honked to let her know the light had turned green.

"I'm sorry, A. I didn't mean to sound like that…I'm just really surprised. What did you talk about?" Teagan asked.

"Just everything… I don't know how to explain it but I just feel right with him. He kind of comes off as unfriendly but I get him." Avery said.

"I'm really happy for you." Teagan said smiling at the thought of Avery finding a guy who was into her for who she was and not just sex.

"You really like him." Teagan observed.

"He's hot." Avery shrugged it off.

"You can cover it up by talking about how hot you think he is, or how great of a kisser he is… but the truth is you don't just like him cause he's hot. You really like him." Teagan said, surprised at her friend.

"Like I said, it feels right… I get him." Avery repeated.

"Now, I have got to meet him." Teagan said.

"You might not agree." Avery said quietly.

"If you think he's that great, I'm sure I'll agree." Teagan said confidently.

"He's… kind of dark and intense." Avery tried to think of ways to describe him.

"Sounds like your type." She said nodding still not understanding what Avery meant.

Avery stayed quiet.

She really wanted to tell her friend about him being a werewolf, but she knew Teagan would get mad and think it was a joke again.

"Hey, I've been a little freaked out since you caught me in the hallway and asked for a favor. What's going on?" Teagan asked her, breaking the silence.

"I don't need the favor anymore… I was going to ask you if you could talk to your dad about something and get his help as a lawyer but it's all good now." She responded.

"So you don't need a favor?" She asked.

"No T, I need you to not freak out though. I have something to tell you." Avery said biting down on the side of her lip.

"I hate when conversations start like that…" She breathed out as she tucked some of her brunette hair behind her ear.

"I was going to see if your dad could help Derek, he got arrested for something he didn't do." She said, her voice quiet.

"What did he get arrested for?" Teagan pushed, growing uneasy.

"Murder." Avery said as she braced herself for her friends reaction.

"I don't like this joke." Teagan said as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"It's not a joke… but he didn't do it. He couldn't have." Avery assured her.

"Oh my god!" Teagan yelled as it hit her all at once that Avery wasn't joking.

Avery stayed silent.

"And just when things are seeming to fall into place, it hits you… too good to be true." Teagan said shaking her head.

"What?" Avery asked confused.

"He sounded so great, I mean spending the night with you and not expecting sex and you seemed so happy and then he turns out to be a killer. I'm going to start doing background checks on anyone you decide to date." Teagan said, feeling panicked from thinking he could have hurt or killed Avery.

"He is not a killer." Avery assured her.

The car was silent until Teagan's eyes widened.

"Avery… why did you say we were going to pick Derek up?" Teagan yelled.

"Because he just got released from jail." Avery admitted.

"So let him call someone else… this is a bad, bad idea." Teagan said.

"He doesn't have anyone else to call, Teagan." Avery said.

"Don't you think there might be a reason for that?" Teagan said as she started to feel sick to her stomach when Avery pulled into the parking lot of the county jail.

"Please don't judge him, you haven't even seen him since you were like 10. I need you to trust me on this, he didn't kill anyone." Avery repeated.

"He was arrested for murder, they had to have had enough evidence to get an arrest warrant." Teagan argued.

"I know I don't always make the best choices, T. And I'm a little reckless with my own life, but I would never put you in danger. If I thought for a second that he did this, I wouldn't let him in this car with you and you know it. Please just trust me." Avery pleaded as she got out of the car and headed inside.

Teagan opened the passenger door and took a breath of the cold evening air. She knew Avery would never intentionally put her in danger, but her friend wasn't known for always making the best decisions.

A few moments later Avery came outside and got back in the car.

"What's going on?" Teagan asked.

"Paper work, he'll be out in a few minutes." Avery explained as she held her hands in front of the vent in the car to warm them up.

Teagan took a deep breath and nodded her head, she was going to try to give Derek a chance and not judge him.

"There he is." Avery said with a sigh of relief.

Teagan looked up and her eyes widened, he had really grown up since she last saw him. She felt intimidated by him already and he wasn't even near the car.

"Be right back." Avery said as she jumped out of the car.

Teagan watched as her friend as she kissed him and then said something to him as they were headed to the car.

Under different circumstances Teagan thought they would have looked great together; both of them in dark clothes and leather jackets.

But he seemed dangerous, and he was a lot taller and stronger than Avery who looked smaller than normal walking beside him.

Teagan's heart raced as she thought of how easily he'd be able to overpower and hurt Avery.

Teagan wasn't able to help the gasp that came from her mouth when Derek got into the back seat of the car.

"Teagan this is Derek; Derek this is my best friend, Teagan." Avery introduced them as she backed out of the parking spot.

"H…hello." Teagan stuttered out.

Avery looked over at her with a disapproving look.

Derek scooted over to the middle of the backseat and leaned forward between them.

Teagan held her breath as he seemed even more dangerous up close. Avery had always liked the bad boy type, but this was a little too extreme.

"Turn left." He told Avery, as he ignored Teagan.

"I'm going right." Avery argued with him as she flipped the turn signal on.

"Why?" Derek asked, his voice gruff.

"To take you home." Avery responded.

"I'm not going home, I'm going to the lacrosse game with you." He said looking at her.

"No way, you were just arrested for murder Derek, you can't just show up at some public event like that…" Avery said shocked he wanted to go to the game.

"I have to go to the game." Derek argued back.

Teagan swallowed hard and leaned towards her door away from where Derek was leaning between them.

"Derek, everyone will be staring at you. It's freaking Beacon Hills, rumors spread worse than wildfire." Avery tried to reason.

"Turn left. It could be very dangerous for someone if I don't go." He said, knowing Teagan was in the dark about werewolves.

Avery sighed, she knew he meant it would dangerous if Scott wolfed out on the field.

"Maybe we should go to the game… well lit area with lots of people, just turn left." Teagan agreed her voice a little shaky, as his last sentence had sounded like a threat.

Derek and Avery both looked over at her as her brown eyes widened.

"I didn't kill anyone." Derek said, as Avery turned left out of the parking lot and headed towards the school.

"I didn't say that you did." Teagan said.

"But you think that I did." Derek pointed out.

"Well, I am sorry. I tried not to judge you but then you go and threaten my best friend." Teagan said, feeling protective over Avery.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her confused.

"You said it would be dangerous for someone if you didn't go to the game; you threatened her." Teagan said, feeling a little braver the more she spoke her thoughts.

"I didn't mean her." Derek said, irritation in his voice.

"I'm… I'm uncomfortable." Teagan admitted.

Sighing Derek looked at Teagan in the eyes and said, "I wouldn't hurt Avery, okay?"

Teagan could tell he was telling the truth but it didn't calm her down any.

"It's okay, T." Avery said offering her a friendly smile.

"I hope so." Teagan breathed out quietly as Derek scooted back in the back seat and stopped hovering between them.

As Avery drove them towards the school Teagan wondered what on earth her friend saw in Derek.

**~Many minutes later~**

Avery pulled her car into the crowded parking lot. As soon as the car was turned off, Teagan quickly exited the car, wanting to get away from Derek as soon as she could.

She walked ahead of the couple as she made her way toward the bleachers, the sooner she got around more people the better, in her opinion.

Derek glanced around relieved to see that Scott had not shifted, at least not yet. But he could hear his racing heart from where he was standing and could tell the younger boy was close to losing control.

He stood toward the back of the bleachers where he could keep an eye on things without anyone seeing him, especially the older Argent who was sitting in the stands.

Avery was planning on sitting with her friends and Derek; she couldn't wait to introduce him to Lydia and Allison but was surprised to see him standing back from the crowd.

"Hey, what are you doing? The game is this way." Avery said, as she nodded toward the field.

"I know where it is. I can see it from here." Derek answered harshly. When he noticed the expression on her face, he felt bad for snapping at her and added, "it would be best if I stay back. If certain people saw me it could mean trouble for me. But you should go sit with your friends."

"Ok." Avery said, trying not to show him how disappointed she was.

She turned to walk away but before she could take a step, Derek reached out to grab her arm and pulled her back toward him before pressing his lips against hers for a kiss, taking her by surprise like he did the night of their date. She could really get used to this.

While he kissed her, Scott scanned the crowd looking for Allison and was surprised to see Derek.

He was even more surprised to see him in the middle of a heated kiss with a blonde. His eyes widened when he realized the blonde girl in Derek's arms was Avery.

When Stiles saw Scott staring at something, he looked back and felt his mouth drop open when he saw them kissing. So much for his warning, he had hoped Avery would have listened to him and was disappointed to see that she didn't.

The longer they kissed, the more he felt his heart crumble into pieces.

After the kiss, Derek pulled back a little and tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear then said, "Thanks for picking me up."

"You're uh, you're welcome." Avery mumbled. No other guy had ever taken her breath away the way he did. Yep, she could definitely get used to this.

With a smile on her face, she made her way towards Teagan who was waiting for her at the bottom of the bleachers. Teagan bit her tongue, wanting to warn her friend about the older guy but didn't have the heart to say anything right now. She had never seen Avery this happy about a guy before and decided to let her have her moment a little longer.

Teagan held out her hand for Avery to take then the two friends walked up the steps together as they made their way towards Lydia, Allison and Allison's dad, Chris.

Allison looked up and smiled at the girls as Lydia spoke up and said, "About time you two show up. The game is almost over."

"We had an errand to run." Teagan said vaguely.

"Dad, you remember Avery right? And this is Teagan, my other friend." Allison said to her dad, as she nodded her head at the two girls now standing beside him.

"Nice to meet you Teagan." Chris said with a friendly smile to the brunette.  
"You too." Teagan said back.

"Nice to see you again Mr. Argent." Avery said with a flirty smile, as she sat down beside him.

Chris chuckled at the forward blonde then said, "Nice to see you again too Avery."

"Ew!" Allison mouthed behind her dad's back at Avery, causing her to laugh.

"So what did we miss?" Teagan asked changing the subject, as she sat down beside Avery.

"We're losing cause of stupid McCall. But Jackson has scored a few times." Lydia said proudly.

"Hurray for him." Teagan said sarcastically.

The small group looked at the field when they heard everyone cheering as one of the players ran down the field toward the opposing team's net.

Teagan squinted her eyes trying to see who the player was but before she could read the number, Avery leaned toward her and asked, "Isn't that Isaac?"

"I think so." Teagan said with a smile, as she watched him spin past one of the other players. She stood up and cheered as loud as she could, ignoring Jackson who came to a stop when he saw who she was cheering for. He thought he had made it clear to the Lahey boy that he needed to stay away from her, he guess he would need to remind him again.

Jackson narrowed his eyes at the boy as he ran right for him, he waited till Isaac threw the ball to another player then he slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Teagan gasped and threw her hand over her mouth; she couldn't believe Jackson would do that to his own team mate.

Jackson shrugged it off like it was an accident but Teagan knew better and she wasn't happy about it.

* * *

**A/N- I hope you guys all liked the latest chapter. We're still having a ton of fun writing this story!**

**Please check out Miss E Charlotte's page on here, she's an amazing writer with stories for Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf and Sons of Anarchy.**

**On both of our profile pages are links to our Polyvore accounts where we post sets and banners to go along with our stories. ^_^**

**What did you all think of the season 3 premier?**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support. **


	10. At Last My Love Has Come Along

**At Last My Love Has Come Along – Chapter 10 **

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Monday morning, Avery and Teagan were walking down the hallway side by side as they headed for their first class which was in the same area but in different rooms.

"Are you feeling ok?" Avery asked, as she glanced over at her friend and noticed the bags under her eyes that suggested she didn't get much sleep over the weekend.

"Yeah, just tried." Teagan answered with a yawn.

"Are you still not sleeping? What's the problem?" Avery asked concerned.

Teagan shot her a look then said, "You're kidding right?"

When Avery shook her head, letting her know she was seriously asking, Teagan gave a bitter chuckle then said, "Well let's see, you're dating a murderer and I have a crazy jealous ex who is going around knocking down innocent guys on the lacrosse field just because the innocent guy spoke to me."

"Oh come on, you have to admit it's kind of hot that two boys are fighting over you." Avery joked.

"No one is fighting over me. Jackson is just being unfair." Teagan said, then groaned, "God, he is driving me crazy. I mean he moved on and I'm not saying I'm trying to move on to anyone, but if I wanted to, I should be able to."

"You should tell him that." Avery pointed out.

"Like he would listen." Teagan argued.

"Never know unless you try." Avery said, then added, "And don't think I didn't hear your little comment before about me dating a murderer. Derek didn't kill anyone."

"If you say so." Teagan mumbled.

"I do say so. If he was so guilty then how come they let him out?" Avery pointed out.

"They didn't have anything to hold against him, dad says it happens all the time." Teagan said back.

"Wait? You talked to your dad about Derek?" Avery asked surprised, as she grabbed Teagan's arm to stop her from walking.

"You said you wanted me to ask him for help so I did." Teagan said, not understanding what the problem was.

"That's when he was locked up but he's out now. If your dad starts digging around he might find something." Avery argued. _'Like the fact that he is a werewolf' _She thought to herself.

"Well if he is innocent then it doesn't matter what dad finds. I mean he might find something that helps Derek." Teagan pointed out then added, "besides I'm not even sure if he can look at the case. He said he was going to call the sheriff and offer to help."

"Keep me updated." Avery said, as the two made it to her classroom.

"I will." Teagan promised.

Avery gave her a nod as thanks, then walked inside her classroom. Teagan walked a little further down the hall heading for her classroom while deep in thought until she slammed into someone, knocking her and her books to the floor.

Isaac gasped in surprise when he noticed that not only did he crash into someone, but the person was Teagan.

If Jackson wasn't pissed before, he would be now.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry about that." Isaac said, as he held out a hand then quickly pulled it away, afraid someone would see.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's my fault, I wasn't paying attention. There's no need for you to apologize." Teagan said, as she gathered up her books then stood up to face him. Then added, "plus I should be the one apologizing."

"It's ok. It was an accident." Isaac said, thinking she meant what just happened.

"No I mean, I should be apologizing to you for Jackson. I don't know what his problem was at the game, but he shouldn't have taken it out on you." Teagan explained.

"What are you talking about?" Isaac asked playing dumb. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but figured it was best to act confused.

"The lacrosse game. When Jackson knocked you down." Teagan said.

"Oh that. That was just a accident. It gets confusing on the field sometimes and you forget who is who. It happens." Isaac said, trying to play it off.

Teagan opened her mouth to argue but before she could say a word, she saw Isaac glance over her shoulder with wide eyes.

He called out a 'got to go' then quickly walked passed her, leaving her confused. She turned around to look down the hallway, wondering what scared him off and saw a couple of Jackson's friends watching her.

She narrowed her eyes at them, causing them to quickly look away. Avery was right, maybe she did need to talk to Jackson. It was hard trying to get over him if he refused to let her go.

**~()~**

Teagan was headed to lunch when she remembered she needed to drop some books off at the library.

She heard someone call her name as she walked down the nearly empty hallway; looking over her shoulder she saw it was Jackson.

"T! Wait a minute." He yelled as he jogged and caught up with her.

"What's wrong? You've been avoiding me… I thought we were good." Jackson said confused.

"I thought so too." Teagan admitted to him as she moved her books to her other arm.

"Then what's the problem?" He asked her, wondering what had happened.

"I should be asking you that… I was at the game." Teagan said.

He was quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"Isaac is a good guy, you were all but full on attacking him on the field." Teagan said, not wording it lightly.

Jackson's jaw tensed in anger from thinking about Teagan and Isaac.

"It's lacrosse, it's a contact sport." Jackson reminded her.

"I get that, but he's on your team and he took a worse beating then anyone on the opposing team. He was the only one you went after." Teagan argued with him.

"Why does it even bother you, you like him or something?" Jackson asked.

Teagan raised her eyebrows.

"What?" She stammered, thrown off by the question.

"I saw you guys talking and Lahey was getting a little too friendly." Jackson revealed without even thinking.

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous that he was talking to me?" Teagan gasped.

Jackson scoffed and his lips curved into a smug smile, "Me? Jealous of Lahey… get real."

"Jackson, this is ridiculous. You can't go around attacking any guy that talks to me." Teagan said angrily.

"Look, you've moved on and I think I should get the same option." Teagan admitted, a pained look on her face.

"So you do like him?" Jackson asked, his voice low and almost in a growl.

"I never said that, you're putting words in my mouth." She argued shaking her head back and forth.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do." She admitted with a shrug.

"I can't stand to see someone else with you, T." He admitted.

Her breath caught in her throat at his words. She couldn't stand to see him with Lydia either.

"It feels wrong." He said as she reached forward and moved some hair out of her face.

Even the slightest brush of his flesh against hers made her heart race and her entire body tingle.

She moved away from his touch and narrowed her eyes.

"Stop hurting Isaac." She said.

"Then he needs to stay the hell away from you." Jackson retorted, immediately angry that she moved away from him.

"You have no right to even say that to me after I left and you started dating one of my best friends." She snapped.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I thought you were gone for good?" Jackson said.

"Be as pissed as you want, but if I want to talk to Isaac or date anyone, I can." She yelled at him.

"No." Jackson yelled back.

"What do you mean no…" Her sentence was cut short and her voice muffled by his mouth as he kissed her.

All of her anger, hurt and sadness soon turned to a burning ache only he could fill.

Passion engulfed her senses and she dropped her books to the floor, both of them so absorbed in the other that neither of them heard the loud thud.

Her heart raced inside of her chest as his hands slid down her body, before he pulled against him.

She had her hands on the back of his head and neck keeping his lips locked tight with hers; she felt like she couldn't get close enough to him.

His grip tightened on her when he slid his tongue into her mouth and she moaned softly.

Suddenly she remembered they were in the hallway at school and she broke their kiss looking at him wide eyed.

"What's wrong with you?" She gasped as she leaned down and gathered her books.

"Teagan…" He started to say something but she cut him off.

"No! Just stop it Jackson, stop doing this to me… you have a girlfriend." She reminded him.

"I'm so sick of you saying that." He answered.

"It's not fair to me for you do this, and it's not fair to Lydia either. You have a girlfriend who happens to be one my best friends and I'm not going to be the other woman." Teagan said as she turned and started towards the library.

He thought about going after her, but he saw the hurt expression on her face and decided it would be best to leave her alone.

**~(After school)~**

Avery drove home after school with Lydia in the car with her.

Lydia let out a heavy, over-dramatic sigh as she looked out of the passenger window.

"I'm sorry about Jackson." Avery said softly.

Towards the end of the school day Jackson had broken up with her.

Lydia didn't respond.

"There are plenty of other single first-line lacrosse players. We'll find you someone else." Avery assured her.

"Let's stop talking about it." Lydia said.

Avery nodded.

"But, we can talk about your love life." Lydia said giving her a knowing smirk.

"Who said I even have one at the moment?" She asked, wondering if Teagan had told her anything.

"You've been distracted lately, plus you're happier than usual. It has to be a guy." Lydia explained.

"I think I really like this one." Avery admitted.

"For more than just a boy toy?" Lydia joked.

"You make it sound like I use guys." Avery said, frowning.

"You do, just like they use you." She continued.

Avery stayed quiet.

"They use you for sex and you use them for attention and to feel wanted." Lydia continued.

She wasn't purposely trying to hurt Avery's feelings, but she was mad that Jackson had broken up with her.

"Yeah, well we could go on for hours about my daddy issues… but I'm not the one who up and got dumped out of the blue." Avery snapped.

Lydia's eyes widened.

"I cannot believe you just said that to me!" Lydia snapped.

"Well I can't believe you said all of that to me." Avery shot back at her.

"Let's just forget either of us said anything." Lydia said as she turned and looked out of her window again.

Avery gripped the steering wheel tight. She was trying to be a good friend and be there for her, but Lydia wasn't making it easy.

Once they made it to Avery's house they walked inside and headed up the stairs to her room.

"Avery, why is there a slightly scary looking guy in your room?" Lydia asked as she looked at Derek.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Avery asked smiling at him.

Lydia looked back and forth between them; a feeling of jealousy soon rose up inside of her.

The way they looked at each other was the way she had always wanted a guy to look at her, like she was the only girl in the world.

"I was going to see if you wanted to get lunch or something." He said, looking at Avery.

"Well, she can't today." Lydia answered for her.

"I'm sorry." Avery said shooting him an apologetic smile.

"Oh my god." Lydia exclaimed.

"What now?" Avery breathed out looking over at her.

"I saw him on the news… Avery, why are you dating a killer?" Lydia asked with a jolt of attitude.

"I did not kill anyone." Derek said, his voice low and laced with irritation.

"Hmm." Lydia hummed disbelievingly.

"I'll walk you out." Avery said as she grabbed Derek's hand and led him downstairs.

"I'm sorry, if I had known you'd be here I wouldn't have brought her home." Avery admitted to him.

He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"You haven't done anything illegal that can be traced back to you, right?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

"You're seriously asking me that?" He asked, growing angry.

"I don't mean murder, I mean anything in general?" She asked.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"Don't be mad at me…" She said as she looked down to the floor.

"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked, as he could hear her heart starting to race.

"There may be a lawyer who might start looking into your case." She admitted her voice quiet.

"Why?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"Because when you were in jail, I went to Teagan for help. Her dad is a lawyer…" She started to explain.

"Teagan, your other friend who thinks I'm a murderer? Her dad is going to start digging around?" Derek asked, a look of anger on his face.

"I know she freaked out the other day, but you have to admit the way you worded it sounded like a threat in the car. But she's my best friend and a really great person." Avery defended.

"Why would you even do this?" He asked her his voice a little harsh.

"Stiles told me you got arrested and I just wanted to help you, I didn't know of any other way at the time. I'm sorry." She said.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and got his anger in check.

"it's okay, I don't think he'll find anything. But obviously it's not good to have people trying to dig up dirt on me." He pointed out.

"I know." She said nodding, her breathing a little uneven from his being upset with her.

Stepping closer he rested his hands on her hips and said, "It's okay, just really give some thought to it the next time you decide to try and help me."

She nodded and managed a smile, but he could see the sadness in her eyes.

He pulled her closer to him as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

He wasn't used to anyone trying to help him, especially when he didn't ask for help.

Pulling back he smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Derek, good to see you." Richard said as he walked through the entryway to the other side of the house, barely looking over at them.

"You too." Derek said, watching as he walked by.

"I'd better get back to Lydia, see you later." She said as she kissed him again before heading back upstairs.

"This looks a little big to be yours, what happened to him not using you? He's already leaving clothes behind." Lydia asked as she held up one of Derek's' jackets.

"He's not, it's just a jacket… not like you found underwear." Avery said as she looked at her friend with narrowed eyes.

"I just don't think you should get your hopes up about him." Lydia stated.

The longer she had waited in her friends room for her to return, the more jealous she got of Avery being the one with a boyfriend when she had just gotten dumped.

"You don't know him." Avery defended.

"I know that he's a guy, and he's getting what he wants from you… but really A, how long will it last?" Lydia continued.

"Well, for your information; I haven't slept with him yet." Avery snapped.

"Exactly, the key word is 'yet'. He knows you're going to and we all know what guys will put up with if they want in a girls pants bad enough." Lydia said, immediately regretting it when she saw the pained look on her friends face.

"I don't really think he's using me." Avery said, but her voice wasn't as confident as before.

Lydia was using all of Avery's insecurities against her.

"But hey, it's probably a good thing. Better to be dumped than killed right? I mean they found a body in his yard." Lydia continued.

When Avery didn't respond Lydia said, "But dating a suspect in a murder investigation, great way to finally get your dad's attention; smart thinking on that move."

"I'm not dating him to get my dad's attention." She said, her eyes honest as she looked at her.

"Well…" Lydia began to say but was cut off.

"I don't really want to talk about it anymore." Avery said as she crossed the room, sat down on her bed and looked to where Lydia had set Derek's jacket down.

**~(Later that night)~**

Teagan shut the TV off and stretched as she stood up from the couch before heading up the stairs to her room.

She gasped when she opened her door and saw Jackson squatted down on the floor petting Aspen who was happily wagging his tail.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Teagan asked, wide eyed.

"I came through the window." He admitted, nodding to her open window behind him.

"But I live on the second story." She said.

"I know, it was a lot easier to sneak into your room when your house was one level." He admitted.

"What are you doing here?" Teagan asked him as her brown eyes searched his face.

"You were right, it's not fair of me to do this to you." He said.

Nodding she fought back tears.

"So I broke up with Lydia." He said, smiling.

"Wait… you what?" She asked shocked at him.

"I should have done it as soon as I knew you were coming back." He continued.

"oh my god, why did you break up with her?" Teagan asked.

"You said if I broke up with her we'd get back together." He said.

"I… I never said that." She stuttered out.

His smile fell.

"You said I couldn't keep doing this because I had a girlfriend, well I don't have one anymore." He reasoned.

"But I don't want to be responsible for Lydia getting hurt." Teagan said shaking her head.

"Hurt? She's fine, I'm sure by the end of the week she'll be dating some other guy on first line. It's a popularity thing for her." Jackson tried to ease her mind.

Teagan swallowed hard and nodded.

As bad as it sounded she was happy they'd broken up; but she also really hoped the break up hadn't hurt Lydia at all.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" He asked walking up to her.

Teagan felt her heart jump when her eyes locked with his.

"Teagan?" He questioned when she didn't respond.

Teagan had always tried to be a good person and make the right decisions to not hurt anyone around her but had loved Jackson for years and wanted to be back in his arms so bad.

"I never stopped wanting this…" She whispered, as she leaned her face into his hand when he gently pushed some hair behind her ear.

"Me either." He said as he pulled her face in to meet his.

She smiled against his parted lips as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.

Breaking their kiss she asked, "Are we really doing this? Are we really getting back together?"

He smiled at the excitement in her voice, this was exactly what he had wanted since the moment she had left town.

He wanted to be back with her, be able to hold her in his arms whenever he wanted.

"I think so." He whispered, answering her questions.

He reclaimed her mouth with his, kissing her with more passion than before. She was happy he was holding onto her so tightly because of the moment between them made her knees grow weak.

"I feel bad for being happy." Teagan admitted to him as she broke their kiss.

"Look, whatever happens… whether Lydia is upset or pissed off it's on me. Okay? Not you." He said, his voice soothing as she calmed her down and brushed the hair out of her face and held her cheeks in his hands.

"Okay." Teagan said, deciding this was something she wanted for herself, and she deserved to be back with him.

"Okay." Jackson replied as he kept his hands on her face and stepped closer to her as he held her face still and leaned in to kiss her.

Reaching up she placed her hands over his as their mouths moved together.

Soon his fingers tangled in her hair as she lightly drug her nails over his scalp when she ran a hand though his hair and pulled him closer.

Pulling back again, it took her a few moments to catch her breath.

His breathing was almost as labored as hers as he stared at her expectantly.

He could tell by the look on her face she was going to say something.

"I don't know…" Teagan said shaking her head as she again thought about what Lydia would think when she found out they were back together.

"I love you." He said.

Her eyes locked with his and she could feel tears stinging her eyes.

Leaning in he kissed her again before he said, "I love you, Teagan. We'll figure this out…"

She nodded and smiled, "I love you too."

* * *

**A/N- I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! ^_^ Also hope you guys all liked the season 3 premier, Miss E Charlotte and I loved it!**

**If you haven't yet check out our pages we both have other Teen Wolf stories. ^_^ While on our profiles click the links to our polyvore accounts, we make sets to go alone with this and our other stories.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you'd take just a few moments to leave a review and show us there is still interest in this story. Feedback is always welcome. ^_^**


	11. I Was Only Talking About Bowling

**I Was Only Talking About Bowling – Chapter 11 **

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery smiled as she looked at her phone and had a text from Derek, she quickly read and replied to the text and put all of her things in her locker.

Tucking her phone back into her jacket pocket she headed off to find Teagan.

She smiled as she saw Teagan and Jackson standing by her friends locker, tangled up in each others arms.

A part of her felt bad that Jackson had dumped Lydia, but mostly she was happy for Teagan and Jackson. She knew they truly loved each other and they were both the happiest they'd been in a long time.

She cleared her throat and waited for them to respond, but they were so absorbed in each other they didn't hear her.

Taking out her phone she snapped a picture of them and then texted it to the both of them at the same time.

They broke their kiss when their phones beeped in unison.

Avery watched with a smirk as they checked their messages.

Teagan gasped and Jackson said, "What the hell?"

"Lunch time!" Avery announced smiling widely at them.

"A!" Teagan said as she looked back down to her phone.

"So if you two are done feeding from each other's mouths… can we go to the lunchroom please?" Avery said, her voice still loud.

Jackson let out a laugh and shook his head as Teagan stared at her friend with wide eyes.

"What?" Avery asked, playing innocent.

"You're deleting that picture." Teagan said.

"I think it's a good picture…" Jackson said as he leaned down and kissed her again.

A few minutes later the group of 3 made their way through the lunch line and scanned the cafeteria.

They saw Allison sitting with Scott and Stiles.

Teagan started for the table and Jackson and Avery followed her.

"Hey guys." Teagan greeted as she sat down.

"Hey…" Stiles mumbled before he looked up and saw Avery.

"Hey Avery." He said as she sat down in the empty seat beside him.

She ignored him as she scanned the lunchroom for Lydia and saw her sitting at a table with several of the lacrosse players.

Jackson shot Scott an angry look, he was still convinced that Scott was taking steroids.

"Isn't it horrible what happened to that bus driver?" Allison said as she took a bite of her food.

Everyone nodded. One of the school's bus drivers had been murdered earlier that day.

The table stayed silent for a few minutes before Teagan said, "I'm excited for tonight! I love bowling."

"Are you going?" Stiles asked Avery.

"No." She responded as she took a bite of her apple.

"You should." Allison urged.

"I'm not coming because you guys are all discriminating against the guy I'd bring with me." Avery said.

Stiles shook his head and looked away from her, not sure what she saw in Derek.

"He was arrested for murder." Allison said, giving her a sympathetic look.

"The charges were dropped, it was an animal attack. They found hair on the body… wolf fur actually. Weird isn't it?" She asked, looking at Scott.

His eyes widened as he stared back at her.

"It's not a good idea to even be spending time with him." Teagan said.

"Or subject us to it." Jackson agreed.

"Scott, did you know that there supposedly hasn't been wolves in California for like 60 years. Really makes you wonder what kind of wolf it was that killed her, doesn't it?" she asked, smirking at him.

"What?" Allison said with a small laugh as she looked over at Scott.

He stared back at Avery who raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"You know, if she's going to spend time with Derek it should be around other people. I think you should bring him." Scott said, afraid she might say something about werewolves.

Everyone stared at him wide eyed.

"She can't bring him." Teagan said looking at Scott.

"I don't' think it's such a bad idea." Scott argued, still not wanting Avery to talk anymore about wolves.

"Wow, you are some kind of freak McCall. You really want to spend the night bowling with a murderer?" Jackson said looking at him.

Not liking seeing people ganging up on Scott, Allison said "The charges were dropped, and I don't know… maybe he's not as bad as we all think."

"this is not happening." Teagan exclaimed looking at her.

"I think if you want to bring him, go head. I agree with Scott." Allison said.

"Unbelievable." Jackson said as he shook his head and looked at Teagan.

"What do you think Stiles?" Teagan asked, trying to get more people on her side.

"I'm not going so it doesn't matter what I think." He said, as he looked down to his lunch tray.

"So it's two against two and I'm the tie-breaking vote… so if I want to bring Derek I can. You are outnumbered." Avery said looking between Jackson and Teagan.

Jackson looked over and saw Teagan's hands were a little shaky.

Reaching over he took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You two are adorable." Avery said smiling at them.

**~(After school)~**

"Thanks for meeting me." Avery said smiling at Derek as she walked in her room.

He nodded and returned the smile, wondering what she had wanted him to come over for.

"There's this thing I'm going to tonight and I'd have a lot more fun if you came with me." She said.

"What kind of thing?" He asked, watching her closely.

"Bowling." She said.

"You want me to go bowling with you?" Derek asked, with raised eyebrows.

"And some of my friends." She added in.

"Your friends who think I killed my own sister? I don't think so." Derek said.

"Please?" she pleaded as she crossed the room and kissed him.

"I'm not going. I don't even like bowling." He stated, as he frowned at her disappointed expression.

He didn't like making her unhappy, but he did not want to spend the night bowling with a group of high schoolers who hated him.

"But it won't be all bad, I'll be there." She said.

"No." He said again.

"I want to go do something tonight though." She said frowning.

"So we can find something else to do." He offered, trying to cheer her up.

Avery looked around her room at her slate gray walls with various pictures and art work decorations.

"But nothing sounds as fun as bowling." Avery argued, wishing he'd just agree to go with her.

He laughed "I'm sure we can think of a hundred things that are more fun than bowling, Avery."

Stepping out of his arms she crossed her room and faced him with her arms folded across her chest.

"Like what? Have sex?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

"What?" Derek asked, thrown off by her statement.

"Because I'm not going to have sex with you tonight." She said.

"Yeah, that definitely would have been at the top of my list for fun things, but I wasn't talking about that." He said, not sure what had given her that idea.

"Because if you're only here talking to me because you want in my pants, you can just get out." She said, her voice raised as she started to think maybe what Lydia had said about him was right.

"Why are you saying this?" He asked her, growing more confused it was only seconds ago that they had been talking about bowling.

"Look, I don't know what you've heard about me. But it's not true." She continued to say.

He took a few steps towards her, "I didn't even know who the hell you were until that day at the gas station when you came up to me."

"And just because I'm not afraid to go after what I want, doesn't mean that I'm a slut." She yelled.

His eyes widened, "I never thought that you were. What happened? You were fine 5 minutes ago."

She stayed quiet as tears burnt at her eyes.

He could tell she was on the verge of tears and started to walk up to her, but she backed away and angrily shook her head.

"I had a pretty messed up image of who I was for a long time, but I've grown up a lot and I'm not just some booty call. I deserve more than that, I deserve someone who is going to like me for me, and not just for the sex." She said, confidently.

"I do like you for who you are. Can you just tell me what the hell is going on?" He asked, even more confused than he was before and starting to get angry, and not understanding how they got there from talking about bowling.

She shook her head back and forth.

Sighing he said, "I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that I'm using you for something that we haven't even done, from me saying I don't want to go bowling with people who hate me. But if it really means this much to you, then I'll go bowling."

Taking a deep breath she said, "No, I don't want you to come with me."

Grabbing her purse she opened her bedroom door.

"Avery wait…" He said as he started to follow her.

"Leave me alone." She said as she ran down the stairs and out to her car.

**~()~**

Teagan was standing in her walk in closet as she tried to decide what to wear that night. She had just got out of the shower and made it as far as putting on her underwear and bra before getting distracted by all of her clothing choices. She was deciding between two different shirts when she heard her window slide open followed by a thud on the floor.

With murderers getting released and running around town, for a moment she feared someone had broken into the house. She glanced around the closet looking for anything that could be used as a weapon, but unfortunately for her other than some spiky high heels she didn't have much to protect herself, but it was better than nothing.

With a high heel in hand she cautiously peeked out of the closet then sighed with relief when she saw it was Jackson. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him playing with Aspen. Sometimes it felt like no time had even passed between them; things were great with them, just like it used to be and she couldn't be happier.

"Jeez Jackson, I do have a front door you know?" Teagan joked, as she walked out of the closet.

"I know, old habit I guess." Jackson said back, as he kept his head down and continued to play with a happy Aspen.

"Well I thought you were a burglar or something. I was about to attack you with my high heel." Teagan said with a laugh, then joked as she looked at Aspen, "great guard dog you are."

Jackson laughed then looked up at her for the first time; he felt his mouth drop open when he saw her standing there half naked. Suddenly bowling was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Wow! Is that what you are wearing? Cause I for one, love it." Jackson joked, as he looked her up and down.

She shot him a confused look, forgetting for a moment what she was wearing or actually not wearing at the moment. She gasped then grabbed the towel she had used earlier on her hair from the bed and wrapped it around herself, causing him to groan.

"Aw, come on. It's not like I haven't seen it before." Jackson said with a laugh, as he stood up from the floor and walked over towards her.

"Shut up." Teagan said, laughing as she threw the high heel shoe at him, which he caught then added, "We just got back together. Don't you think it's a little too soon for that."

Jackson shook his head as he reached out to wrap an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him before saying, "It's never too soon for that."

Teagan giggled as he kissed her bare shoulder then kissed over to her neck. When he began to nibble on the spot that always turned her on, her head rolled to the side as she closed her eyes and moaned. Things were getting hot fast between the two until she heard her phone go off, letting her know she had a new text message.

"Ok, that's enough." Teagan said, as she pushed Jackson away. When he reached out to grab her again, she slapped his hand then said, "Now go sit down with Aspen and be a good boy."

Jackson rolled his eyes as he took a few steps back and sat down on the edge of her bed, never taking his eyes off of her as she walked over to her desk to pick up her phone. Before checking the message, she glanced over her shoulder and said with a wink, "If you're good you'll get a treat later."

Jackson smirked and said, "Tease."

Teagan laughed at his comment then looked down at her phone reading the text from Avery about Derek not going. She was disappointed for her friend but happy that he wasn't tagging along.

"Everything ok?" Jackson asked when he saw the look on her face.

"Yeah, it's just a text from Avery. Derek's not coming." Teagan answered.

"Well that's good right?" Jackson asked, confused about her reaction.

"Yeah..."

"But?" Jackson added.

"I just feel bad for Avery, she really likes the guy and maybe we're judging him too harshly." Teagan said, feeling conflicted.

"The guy's a creep and I've seen the look on your face whenever his name is mentioned. He scared the shit out of you and I'm not letting him anywhere near you so it's a good thing that he's not coming tonight or I just might have to kick his ass." Jackson said, as he stood up to stand in front of her.

"But Avery..."

"Will get over him." Jackson said, interrupting her. Then added, "You know how she is. He'll screw her brains out then she'll move on to the next. In a week or so I bet she won't even remember the guy's name."

Teagan shot him a look, not liking what he said about her best friend. She took a step back from him then said, "She's not like that, Jackson. Besides it is different with Derek, I can see it in her eyes."

"Ok so do we hate the guy or not?" Jackson asked feeling annoyed.

"I don't know, ok?" Teagan said with a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair.

Jackson took a deep breath to control his anger, this was not the way he wanted the night to go. He did not want to be arguing with her over something as stupid as one of Avery's flings.

He took a step toward her and rested his hands on her hips as he said, "Hey let's just drop it ok. The guy's not even going to be there so it doesn't matter. Let's just go and have some fun ok?"

Teagan nodded her head, agreeing with him. He was right, they just needed to go out and have fun with their friends and just put Derek out of their minds.

Jackson smiled at her as he lifted up one of his hands and unwrapped the towel she was wearing then added, "Or we can stay in and have fun."

Teagan laughed as she pulled the towel from his hand and wrapped it again before saying, "No, we are going."

"At least give me a peek." Jackson said softly, as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

After a passionate kiss, she pulled back with a giggle as she grabbed the towel and pulled it open giving him a look. He bit his bottom lip as he let his eyes travel from her chest all the way down to her toes. She was flawless and she was all his.

He reached out to touch her until she slapped his hand away again like she did earlier then said, "Nu-huh, that's enough. Play time is over."

Jackson groaned as he fell back on to her bed, she was killing him. All of her teasing was seriously going to kill him, but he honestly wouldn't have her any other way. She was his and he was happy and that was all that mattered.

**~()~**

Parking her car outside of Stiles' house Avery walked up to the door and knocked on it.

His dad answered the door.

"Is Stiles here?" she asked with a friendly smile.

He stared at her blankly for a few moments, wondering if this was the same blonde girl that Stiles kept talking about.

"My name is Avery I'm an… acquaintance of his from school." She said, deciding the word friend didn't exactly fit them.

"It's really great to meet you, Avery. Stiles talks about you all the time." The Sherriff said as he shook her hand.

"Oh." Avery said nodding with raised eyebrows.

"I mean he is really going to be thrilled you're here." He said still smiling and shaking her hand.

"That's great… but I think you can stop shaking my hand now." She said as she tried to pull her hand from his.

He looked down and laughed, "Right, I'm sorry. I'm just surprised to see you."

"I could tell." She said with a laugh at how his dad reminded her a little of the way Stiles acts.

"He's in his room." The Sherriff said as she let her inside.

Avery looked around the living room.

"Are you going to show me to his room, or am I supposed to play a game of musical doors till I find him?" she asked.

"Yeah, his room is this way." He said as he led her down to his son's room.

"Stiles said you were outspoken." The Sherriff said with a small laugh.

She smiled and looked at the closed bedroom door.

After giving her another smile, Stiles' dad headed back down the hallway.

Avery raised her hand and knocked on the door.

She didn't hear a response.

"Stiles?" She asked as she knocked again.

Still no answer.

Avery opened the door and saw he was sitting at his desk, on his computer with ear buds in.

She watched him for a few seconds, and saw he was moving around in his chair and not taking his eyes off of the computer.

"Are you watching porn?" she asked with raised eyebrows and an amused look on her face.

Walking behind him she let out a sigh, "Of course not. You are playing a video game… great."

Then it struck her that he had no idea she was in the room with him.

Letting out a small laugh she sat down on the end of his bed and took her phone out to text Teagan and let her know that she had gotten her wish and Derek wasn't going along on the triple date.

She looked back up to see Stiles' still playing the game on the computer, oblivious to anything else.

Avery started texting random people to kill some time before she was supposed to meet everyone at the bowling alley.

It was about 10 minutes later that she heard footsteps and looked up to see Sherriff Stilinski standing in the doorway.

"Stiles!" He yelled.

Stiles couldn't hear them over the loud music and game sound effects blaring through the small speakers in the ear buds.

"Stiles!" He yelled louder.

"My god how loud does he have those things?" He asked looking over to Avery.

She shrugged and looked back down to her phone to reply to a text.

Seeing that yelling wasn't doing any good, he flipped the light switch a few times.

"What?" Stiles asked as he paused the game and took his ear buds out.

"I've been yelling for you." The Sherriff said.

"I was almost at level 50." Stiles said rubbing his eyes.

"Son, is your game really more important than her?" he asked.

"What?" stiles asked confused.

His nodded to where Avery was sitting.

Stiles turned his head, "Avery! Oh my god… hey… hi!" He exclaimed as he jumped up out of his computer chair knocking it over.

"Hello." She responded looking down to the chair on the floor.

"Wh… what are you doing here?" Stiles asked, trying to suavely lean against his desk but he bumped it and knocked over a blue cup full of pens and pencils.

Stiles' dad sighed and shook his head as he turned and left the room.

"Apparently making you nervous?" she said with a smirk as she crossed the room and picked the chair up.

"How long have you been in here?" He asked, still in disbelief that Avery Dukate was standing in his room.

"I think since about level 45." She said nodding to the computer.

"Oh…" He said with a nervous laugh as he ran his hand over his hair.

"Are you ready?" she asked tucking her phone in her leather jacket.

"For…" He asked.

"Bowling." She responded.

"What happened to Derek?" He asked.

"Are you going to question me about Derek Hale or are you going to come with me to bowl as… acquaintances?" She questioned.

"You mean go as friends?" He said.

"If it strokes your ego to think of us as friends then fine; because I'm certainly not going to stroke anything else." She said.

His body tensed and his eyes widened.

She watched him and noticed he'd stopped breathing.

"You're going to pass out from lack of oxygen." She said with a small laugh.

"I… I never expected you to stroke… anything. I mean we're not dating, barely even friends so I'd never think that." He managed to stutter out.

"It was a joke. Calm down, virgin." She said with a flirty smile, and a playful wink.

His eyes widened even more.

"Now come on, let's go. I do not show up to social events alone" She said as she turned and walked away.

It took him a few moments to process everything before he quickly raced out of his room after her.

"This is your car?" He asked staring at her 65 Mustang.

She nodded proudly as she opened the driver's side door.

He looked back up to his house where his dad was standing in the open doorway watching them before he got in the car and she backed out of his driveway.

* * *

**A/N- I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! ^_^ **

**If you haven't yet check out our pages we both have other Teen Wolf stories. ^_^ While on our profiles click the links to our polyvore accounts, we make sets to go alone with this and our other stories.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you'd take just a few moments to leave a review and show us there is still interest in this story. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. **


	12. Dirty Dancing in the Moonlight

**Dirty Dancing in the Moonlight – Chapter 12**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

After keeping Jackson's hands off of her long enough to get dressed, Teagan and Jackson finally left her house and made their way to the bowling alley. Even with all the time she took getting ready, she and Jackson were still the first ones there.

The two walked over towards an empty lane and sat down side by side at a group of chairs. Jackson leaned back in his seat and laid an arm around her shoulders with a sigh as they waited for someone else to show up.

Hearing him sigh, Teagan turned her head to look at him and chuckled when she noticed him pouting.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"We're the first ones here." Jackson pouted.

"So?" Teagan asked confused.

"So we could have been doing other things and still got here on time." Jackson pointed out.

"And what 'other things' did you have in mind?" Teagan asked with a smile, even though she already knew what he was thinking.

"You know what other things I was thinking." Jackson said, as he grinned at her. He sat up then leaned forward to kiss her lips before saying softly for only her to hear, "What do you say we get out of here?"

"We can't." Teagan argued, although he was kind of talking her into it when he began to nibble on her ear.

But no, she had to stay strong, they made plans with their friends and they needed to be there. She pulled away from him then said, "Seriously Jackson, no. We told them we would be here. We can't just leave."

"We're here but they're not, so we did our part, now let's go back to your empty house and have our own fun." Jackson suggested, as he began to kiss on her neck again.

When he nibbled her neck, she gasped and grabbed his hand as she whimpered out, "ok, let's go."

Jackson grinned, pleased with himself for getting her to agree, he was already imagining the things he was going to do to her once they got back to her house.

He quickly stood up, his eyes on her as he pulled her to stand up with him. With a grin still on his face he turned around to walk away until he saw Allison and Scott walking towards them.

"Hey, you're here." Allison said happily as she gave Teagan a hug.

After the hug, Allison glanced at Jackson then said, "Hey Jackson, what's up?"

Jackson mumbled something no one understood before sitting back down in his chair in a foul mood. He was so close, so so close until stupid McCall showed up at the wrong time.

"Where's Avery and Derek? Are they in here yet?" Allison asked, as she glanced around.

"No she's not here yet and she texted me earlier to say Derek isn't coming." Teagan answered.

"Really?" Allison asked, she could have sworn she saw Derek's car in the parking lot but maybe she had been mistaken.

"Yep, so I guess she is flying solo tonight." Teagan said.

"Or not." Jackson said with a laugh when he saw the blonde walked in with a grinning Stiles following along behind her like a puppy.

"What?" Teagan mumbled, feeling very confused at the moment.

She glanced over at Jackson who raised his eyebrows at her, as if to say 'told you she would move on'. With wide eyes, Teagan looked over from Jackson to look at her best friend as she walked over to them.

"Hey!" Teagan called out to them both with a friendly smile.

While Scott and Stiles quietly talked to each other, Teagan gave Avery a look, wondering what was going on. Avery just shrugged back and smiled, as if it was no big deal.

After the girl's silent conversation, Allison grabbed Scott to go pick out a bowling ball while Teagan grabbed Avery to go get bowling shoes. Once they were at the counter Teagan opened her mouth to ask her to explain with words what was going on, but before she could say a word, she saw Stiles walking up behind them.

Teagan reached into her pocket and pulled out some cash then handed it to Stiles as she said, "here. Why don't you go get us all some snacks?"

Stiles nodded his head then turned around to leave. As soon as the girls were alone, Teagan looked at her friend then said, "Ok, spill."

"What?" Avery asked innocently.

"Don't 'what' me, you know exactly what I'm talking about." Teagan hissed, then added, "Earlier today you were going on and on about Derek and now you show up with Stiles?"

"Don't pretend you're heartbroken that Derek didn't show. I know you are thrilled about it." Avery said bitterly.

"Ok, I'll admit, I don't trust him but I trust you, A." Teagan said, then added, "And believe it or not I am sorry that Derek didn't want to go, but I still don't understand why you are here with Stiles. I thought you really liked Derek, what happened?"

Avery sighed as she ran a hand through her hair then said, "We had a fight. It was so stupid too. Stupid bitch Lydia."

"Wait, what?" Teagan asked confused.

"Lydia said some things recently and got all in my head and then I took it out on Derek." Avery said, then added, "I should have never let what she said bother me, but you know how Lydia is sometimes. I swear she is like a mind ninja sometimes, she knows your every insecurity and uses it against you."

"I'm really sorry Avery." Teagan said sincerely.

"So am I." Avery said back, then added, "I really believe we could have been something, until I opened my mouth and ruined it all."

"Stupid bitch Lydia." Avery mumbled again.

Teagan chuckled at her last comment then asked, "Why are we friends with her again?"

"Cause she had pretty hair?" Avery guessed with a shrug, causing Teagan to laugh.

"That must be it." Teagan agreed, as she laughed again with Avery joining her this time.

Once the laughter died down, Teagan said seriously, "Don't worry about Derek."

"I know, I know, just forget about him cause he's a murderer and a creep and blah blah." Avery mumbled, as she rolled her eyes.

"No that's not what I was going to say." Teagan said, then added, "I was going to say, don't worry about him cause I'm sure you haven't ruined anything. Just apologize to him later and I'm sure he will forgive you."

"How can you be so sure?" Avery asked.

"Cause as much as I hate to admit it, he does like you. I noticed it the night of the game. When he wasn't scanning the field with that creepy gaze of his, he was staring at you, A." Teagan admitted.

"Really?" Avery asked with a wide smile.

"Really." Teagan said, then added, "and speaking of staring, someone else is staring at you too."

The two girls glanced over towards their friends and saw Stiles watching Avery as he shoved French fries in his mouth. The two giggled then turned back around to face the counter as they continued to wait their turn.

"Whatever you do A, just don't hurt him. He seems like a nice guy and he is crazy about you." Teagan said about Stiles.

"He knows we're lab partners and nothing else." Avery said.

Teagan shot her a look then said, "I think you two are a little more than lab partners. I've never seen you take lab partners bowling before."

"Ok fine, maybe we're friends, but only a little bit and he knows that." Avery admitted, then added, "Don't worry T, I've got it all under control."

Before Teagan could say anything back, Jackson showed up behind them to playfully throw Teagan over his shoulders, causing her to scream out in surprise.

Avery watched the two and couldn't help but smile, she hoped to have something like they have herself one day and she would really love it if Derek was the one she could have that with.

After dropping Stiles off at his house Avery drove home, but before she could get out of her car, her cellphone rang.

"Hey Allison." She greeted as she answered the call.

"Hey, I need to tell you something… I was going to tell you at the bowling alley but I didn't. I wasn't going to tell you, but I'd feel bad. So I'm going to tell you." Allison rambled on.

"Um, okay… well no time like the present." Avery said with a laugh.

"I saw Derek." Allison finally said.

"You saw him doing what?" Avery asked.

"Watching you." Allison said, not sure if she should be telling her friend this.

Avery looked around her dark driveway and front yard, "Make it sound a little more creepy, why don't you?"

Allison sighed, "At the bowling alley, Derek was there… I saw him watching you and I wanted to tell you but the whole 'he was charged with murder' thing kind of freaked me out. I'm sorry."

A small smile spread over Avery's lips, "He came to the bowling alley?"

"I don't know if it's sweet or creepy, but I thought you'd want to know." Allison said.

"Thanks." Avery said as she got off the phone with her.

Ever since her fight with Derek earlier that night she had felt bad.

Even though she had –had fun at the bowling alley with her friends, she knew it was unfair how she acted towards Derek.

It was pretty clear by the look on his face that he had no idea what she was talking about.

How could he know? It was her own insecurities getting the best of her and she knew Lydia had said those things to try and hurt her.

But she really liked Derek, cared about him more than any other guy and she'd hoped he cared about her too.

Starting her car she drove to the edge of the woods, and grabbed the flashlight from her glove box.

Her hands shook as she started into the woods. Not because of the cold night air, and not because Scott had got bitten in the woods.

No, her hands were shaking because she was going to same spot where her mom had died in the fire that killed Derek's family.

She had only gone there once since losing her mom, it was when she was 13 and her dad had been so busy working he'd forgotten about her birthday.

The burnt remains of the house had sat vacant since Derek and his sister Laura moved away after the fire.

She didn't tell anyone she'd went there, not even Teagan.

Avery had just wanted to feel close to her mom that day, she never felt close to her when she visited her grave in the cemetery and she thought maybe if she went to the spot where her mom died, she might still feel a piece of her there.

But she didn't and the sight of the soot stained house was too much for her to take and she hadn't been back since.

But now she needed to apologize to Derek, and didn't want to do it over the phone.

She took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself as she neared the house, she was thankful when she saw Derek's car.

She wasn't sure what she would have done if she'd gotten there and he'd been gone.

The longer she stared at the house the more she lost her nerve being there, her mom had spent her last agonizing minutes trapped in the basement.

She started to turn around and leave, deciding she'd just call him tomorrow but her light brown eyes widened when she saw the front drivers side window was busted.

She walked over to the car and picked up a piece of the broken glass from the door frame and looked at it.

Thinking he might have been attacked and could be hurt, all her thoughts and fears of the house subsided and she walked quickly up to the door.

Opening it she walked inside and looked around, she didn't know how he could stand to live there.

Avery opened her mouth to call out his name, but no words would come out.

Walking up the stairs she used her flashlight to illuminate her immediate area.

She walked through the upstairs and stopped when she saw a mattress laying on the floor in one of the rooms, with a blanket and pillow on it.

Walking farther inside, she saw some of his clothes laying in an old chair, she crossed the room and looked out the broken glass of the window into the moonlight illuminated woods that surrounded his house.

Turning around to continue her search for Derek, she saw him standing in the room with her.

"Are you okay? The window was busted on your car…" She said, as she looked him over in the dimly lit room.

"Just hunters letting me know they know what I am and that they're watching me." He said taking a few steps closer.

"But you haven't done anything." She said, confused.

"It doesn't matter… most of them have a code that they live by but it doesn't stop from trying to intimidate me." He said with a shrug.

"But it's not right." She said.

"That's just how it is, Avery." He said.

"Well, maybe I can talk to Allison's dad. Tell them you haven't done anything…" Her voice trailed off when she saw him shaking his head back and forth.

"This is one of those times when you really need to think before you try to help." He said with a small smile.

"And it's probably best if they don't know exactly how much you know about me, about all of this." He said.

She nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so." She said.

"You shouldn't be out in the woods when it's dark." He pointed out, knowing the alpha was still attacking people.

"I had to come see you… Allison told me she saw you at the bowling alley, watching me." She admitted, her lips curving into a small smile.

He was silent.

Avery laughed and said, "She told me she didn't know if it was creepy or sweet."

Derek looked at her, "I only went there to see if you were okay. I wasn't following you."

"I thought it was sweet." She assured him, when she saw the slightly worried look on his face.

"I came to apologize, I know I really freaked out on you and you didn't deserve that." She said, her words sincere.

"I honestly wasn't sure what happened." He admitted, watching her face closely.

"Pretty much just the fact that guys have really only ever saw me as a piece of ass, and nothing else. And I think it just happened for so long that it was easier to believe you were the same then to actually think you saw me as more." She said as she looked down at the floor.

It was the first time he'd really saw her without seeming like she didn't have an insecurity in the world.

"I never saw you as just a piece of ass. You've always been more to me…" He said taking a few more steps closer.

"I thought that too, but then one my friends not so kindly reminded me of my history with guys and then it's just been weighing on my mind so much." She said, looking back up at him.

He was silent as he watched her.

She let out a dry laugh, "Stupid isn't it?"

He walked up to her and moved some of her hair out of her face, before taking her chin in his hand and making her look at him.

"It's not stupid. Everyone has things they struggle with." He said. His eyes locking with hers as he spoke.

She smiled at him, and thought that if she tried to tell her friends how he acted with her no one would believe her.

"Still, I'm sorry" She repeated her apology.

Keeping her chin in his hand he leaned forward pressing a kiss to her lips.

Pulling back her eyes locked with his and her breath caught in her throat, she could feel her heart starting to race.

Leaning back in he kissed her again, letting go of her chin as his fingers tangled in her soft, wavy blonde hair.

As his hands started to move down her sides, she softly moaned against his parted lips and leaned her body against his, before she grabbed the sides of his open leather jacket and started to push it off of his body.

Breaking their heated kiss he caught her hands in his, "We don't have to do this tonight, it's okay." He said, his voice was soft and his breathing ragged.

After the way she had acted earlier that day, he didn't want her to feel like she had to do anything.

She smiled.

"I know, but this is what I want. I want to stay with you tonight." She whispered back as she pulled her hands from his grip and slid his jacket off.

He immediately reclaimed her mouth with his own, the passion mounting in their movements as their hands tore at each other's clothes in the soft glow of the moonlight shining in through the broken glass panes of the window.

**~(The next morning)~**

Avery's eyes fluttered open as she squinted in the morning sun and looked around the almost empty room.

She smiled as she felt Derek's arm over her side and she could hear his even breathing and light snoring beside her.

She scooted back from the edge of the single person mattress against him, appreciating the warmth of his bare upper body as his arm tightened around her.

The cold morning air was quickly filling the room from the broken window.

Pulling some of the fabric up from the shirt of his she had borrowed to sleep in she smiled against the fabric as she breathed in and noticed it smelt like him.

No guy had ever made her feel this way before.

Normally the morning after she spent a night with a guy she didn't want to hang around, she'd quickly gather her things and leave before they'd even wake up.

But all she wanted to do was stay there with Derek, she hoped he wanted her to stay to.

Slowly fear started to creep into her mind as she wondered if maybe she should leave before he woke up.

She wasn't sure if after everything that had happened, if she'd be able to take it if he was the same as all the others like Lydia had told her.

Her heart started to beat quicker when she wondered if her fears were justified.

Derek raised his head from the pillow they were sharing when he heard her heart starting to race.

He'd been awake for a few moments wondering if he was doing the right thing or not.

It could possibly be putting her in danger by being with him, some hunters would stop at nothing to get their job done.

A lesson he'd learned the hard way years ago when he fell for Kate Argent and she'd used him to lead her back to the rest of his family.

He knew it was Kate who was responsible for the murders of his family in the house fire.

Then he thought of Avery's mom who was just visiting his aunt the wrong day at the wrong time, and also perished in the flames. He felt responsible for her mother's death.

A sinking feeling rose in his stomach when he wondered what she'd think if she ever found out that he was the reason hunters identified his family as werewolves and set fire to the house.

When he'd first met Avery after coming back to town, he'd found her physically attractive and her straightforwardness amusing, but he'd never imagined that anything would actually happen between them.

And he certainly hadn't counted on developing such strong feelings for her. In fact, no one had ever made him feel the way the she did.

He laid still as he watched her as she slowly slid out from under his arm and stood up; closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep when he saw her start to turn her head to look back at him.

Once she saw he was still sleeping she quickly pulled her jeans on and her leather jacket over his shirt she was still wearing.

He raised his head and watched as she tip toed out of the room hoping to sneak out before he woke up.

Once she was out of the room he stood up and pulled his jeans on over his boxers, and quietly went after her.

Stepping off the last stair, she held her breath and looked around as the floor creaked under her feet.

When the house stayed quiet she turned around to continue heading for the door and jumped when she saw Derek standing in front of the door.

"Hey…" She said, surprise showing on her face.

"Are you really trying to sneak out on a werewolf?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

She sighed, "I wasn't very quiet, huh?"

He shook his head back and forth.

"I'm sorry." She said softly.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I need to go home, shower and changed for school I've already missed first period." She said as she nervously twisted some of her long, blonde hair around her finger.

He frowned when her heart beat revealed she wasn't being truthful with him.

He tried not to be suspicious of her, but the last time he'd fell for someone they'd killed his family.

"Why are you lying?" He asked taking a few steps forward.

"Because I try to lie my way out of situations when I'm embarrassed." She admitted honestly.

"What's going on?" He asked, frowning at himself when his voice came out more gruff then he meant to sound.

"I was sneaking out because I didn't know if you wanted me to be here when you woke up. So I thought I'd just sneak out and go about my day leaving the ball in your court." She said.

He breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard her heart beat stayed steady.

"You really still think I'm just using you?" He asked.

"I'm trying to fix the way I think… I just have some issues I need to sort through is all." She said, offering a small smile.

He nodded and silently related to her statement in his own way, he needed to stop being suspicious of her.

Walking forward he leaned down and kissed her, "Of course I'd want you to stay."

She smiled and her heart skipped a few beats as their eyes met.

"You could stay…" He said as he reclaimed her mouth with his own.

"And I really want to, but I can't miss the 2nd half of the school day. I've got 2 important tests." She said as she raised up and kissed him as she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his face closer to hers.

She still had a smile on her face as she left his house and headed back through the woods to where she had parked her car.

* * *

**A/N- I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! ^_^ **

**If you haven't yet check out our pages we both have other Teen Wolf stories. ^_^ While on our profiles click the links to our polyvore accounts, we make sets to go alone with this and our other stories.**

**Also, Miss E Charlotte had a great idea of doing some spoiler/preview posts on her Polyvore and/or Tumblr for future chapters. We were wondering if any of you would be interested in seeing that?**

**I'd really appreciate it if you'd take just a few moments to leave a review and show us there is still interest in this story. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated more than you know. ^_^**


	13. Falling Fast

**Falling Fast– Chapter 13**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

"There you are, I just tried to call you." Teagan said as Avery joined her at her locker.

"Sorry I was late for school." Avery said with an apologetic smile.

Teagan looked at Avery's still damp hair over her shoulder in a braid.

"Did you just now get up to shower and come to school?" Teagan asked.

Avery nodded.

"Are you okay?" Teagan asked, she knew that Avery's dad didn't pay much attention to what she did but Avery was hardly ever late for school.

"I, um… yeah I'm good." She said, smiling to herself.

"Then why are you being so quiet?" Teagan asked, thrown off by her best friends strange behavior.

Normally when Avery got to school she was bouncing off the walls with excitement at seeing everyone and people paying attention to her.

"I went to see Derek last night after I dropped Stiles off at his house when we left the bowling alley. I apologized for everything and he was so understanding, I know he acts all cold and unfriendly in public. But T, if you could just see him with me… he's so different." Avery said as she smiled and leaned against the locker beside Teagan's.

"That's great." Teagan said with a smile, she was really starting to think maybe she had overreacted with the Derek situation and judged him to fast.

"Still doesn't explain why you skipped the first half of the day, were you avoiding Stiles?" She asked.

"I stayed the night with Derek…" Avery admitted, wondering why she always brought Stiles up to her.

Teagan looked at her with wide eyes and raised her eyebrows as if to ask if Avery and Derek did more than just talk.

Avery nodded.

"Oh my god…" Teagan said.

"Come on, it's free period and I need to get something from the vending machines. I'm starving." Avery said.

"I know I don't normally pry in your sex life, A. But was it terrible or something?" Teagan asked quietly as they walked towards the vending machine area.

"Uh, no… not at all. Why?" Avery asked as she fed her money into the machine.

"Because normally when you sleep with someone, I get every single messy detail. But I almost had to pry the fact from you that you'd slept with him. What's up?" Teagan asked as the girls made their way out to the almost empty lacrosse field and sat down on the bleachers while Avery began to eat her bag of chips.

"I don't know, it's just… kind of a private thing." Avery said as she opened her bottle of water.

Teagan stared at her in shock; Avery never kept anything about her sex life private from her, most of the time Teagan was begging for Avery to stop oversharing.

"Nothing about your sex life is ever private." Teagan said.

"Thanks." Avery said sarcastically.

"No, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just mean that you always tell me everything about your sex-capades." Teagan joked, trying to get Avery to open up.

"This time it's different, okay? Everything felt different, every time he touches me it's like I have shockwaves going through my entire body. I can't explain it, but it's just different with him and I just feel like the moment should stay between me and him." Avery said.

Teagan nodded, that was the same way she'd felt when she'd slept with Jackson before she moved away.

"A, you're kind of blowing my mind right now. You've never talked about a guy this way before." Teagan said after a long pause.

"I've never felt like this about a guy before." Avery said nodding as she finished her bag of chips.

"I'm so happy for you. And I'm sorry for the way I treated Derek when I first met him, maybe we can all hang out sometime and I can get to know the guy who's stealing my best friend's heart." Teagan said.

"I… I don't know. It's not like he lets his guard down around everyone, he acts all cold and emotionless until we're alone. I just kind of get the feeling that he doesn't trust anyone at all." Avery said.

"Like he's got some kind of deep dark secret?" Teagan asked starting to feel a little uneasy.

She shrugged, "Maybe he's been hurt in the past and is just guarded. I'm really struggling to trust the fact that he likes me as something more than a booty call. I think he's struggling to trust me."

"Every relationship has it's up and downs right? It's working through it that makes you guys stronger." Teagan said as she gave her friends arm a light squeeze.

"This is uncharted territory for me, T." Avery said, looking over at her.

"A, can I ask you something kind of personal?" Teagan asked, her voice soft.

Sighing Avery turned and faced her, "Fine, if you must know the night was absolutely amazing. It was so passionate and… amazing. Easily the best sex I've ever had and you know as well as I do that I have some crazy sex-capade stories."

Teagan's eyes widened.

"No, A…" She started to tell her that that wasn't what she was going to ask her.

Standing up Avery unbuttoned her black vest and held it open to reveal she was wearing a dark gray V-neck t-shirt.

"And yes I am wearing his shirt… I like it because it smells like him." Avery said.

Teagan looked at the men's t-shirt that reached to Avery's mid-thighs, she was wearing with a pair of black leggings, and a black cropped vest.

"Wow, um… well, you look really good but I wasn't going to question your clothing choice, or how good Derek was in bed." Teagan said.

Avery buttoned her vest back up and sat down beside her.

"Oh, well then… go on." She said, laughing at their misunderstanding.

"I'm just wondering… how do you stay so confident when you're going to sleep with someone, like aren't you really nervous?" Teagan asked.

"It depends on the situation… sometimes I get nervous, but I just focus on how good everything physically feels." Avery said with a shrug like it wasn't a big deal.

Teagan sighed heavily, wishing she could do the same.

"It's just that it's been two years since I slept with Jackson and I know he's wanting to go there again, but my nerves are getting the better of me and it almost feels like it's the first time again." Teagan said without even thinking.

"Yay!" Avery said as she clapped her hands together.

Teagan had a confused look.

"We're getting to talk about your sex life for once!" She exclaimed.

"I know right." Teagan said with a small laugh.

Avery's jaw dropped as she realized what her friend had admitted.

"You… bitch!" Avery said as she slapped Teagan's arm.

"What the hell?" Teagan asked holding onto her arm.

"You never told me you'd even slept with him!" She said loudly.

"Shut up." Teagan said as she looked around them.

"When?" Avery asked.

"The night I told him my family was moving." Teagan said.

"How could you not tell me, I lost my virginity like 6 months before that, you were the first person I told! Remember?" Avery asked a slightly hurt look on her face.

"I remember, and I thought about telling you. But it was just like you said about you and Derek, it just seemed like something really private between us. I didn't really want to tell anyone." Teagan said.

"But still!" Avery said loudly.

"We moved soon after and I just couldn't tell you something like that over the phone." Teagan continued her explanation.

"I forgive you, but I'm your best friend and you're supposed to tell me these things." Avery said.

Teagan nodded and thought back to the night she and Jackson had lost their virginities to each other.

"If you've already had sex with him, what's the problem with doing it again?" Avery asked confused.

"It's been 2 years and it was the one and only time I've slept with anyone. I've got like first time jitters or something." Teagan said as she moved some hair out of her face when the wind blew.

"Alcohol?" Avery suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Teagan asked with a sigh, the last thing she wanted was a drunk hook up with him.

"Liquid courage, babe." Avery said nodding.

"I don't want it to be like that though, I'm worried it won't be what he's expecting or that I'll do something weird and ruin the moment." Teagan continued to confide in her friend.

"Those are all normal fears, but honestly being afraid and super nervous makes it worse. You just need to relax, just have fun with him… he loves you, T." Avery assured her with a smile.

"I know he does." Teagan agreed nodding.

The bell rang.

"Well, free periods over. But just try to relax and I know it's an uncomfortable subject to talk openly about, but maybe if you let him know you're nervous… he'll be more understanding and you guys can ease into it." Avery said as she stood up and headed into the school.

**~(After school)~**

Teagan and Jackson were in her bedroom. The plan was supposed to be studying together, but the books were quickly forgotten when he pushed them off of the bed and laid her back on to the bed with his lips against hers for a heated kiss.

He hovered over her a little, not wanting to crush her but yet still wanted to be as close to her as possible. He couldn't get enough of her, two years apart was way too long and he definitely wanted to make up for lost time with her.

"I thought we were supposed to be studying?" Teagan asked, as he kissed across her jaw toward her ear.

He lightly bit her ear then began to kiss the side of her neck. With his lips still against her skin, he said, "We are."

Teagan chuckled and bit her lip to hold back a moan when he nibbled on her neck, then said, "This is like the opposite of studying."

Jackson lifted his head to look at her then said, "Not really cause I don't know about you but I am learning a lot."

"Really?" Teagan asked, as she shot him a disbelieving look.

As he nodded his head, she added, "Well tell me then, what exactly are you learning?"

"I'm learning when I do this..." Jackson began to say as he pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss, "that your heart begins to race."

She smiled and gave a short nod, letting him know he was right then asked, "What else?"

"I know when I do this..." He said before he kissed up to her ear and nibbled on it a few times, "you get chills down your spine."

He kissed down the side of her neck again, lightly sucking and biting on the spot that always drove her wild, then mumbled against her skin, "When I do this, it makes you moan."

As if on cue, she arched her back and let out a soft moan, causing him to chuckle.

He ran his hands down her sides until he reached the bottom of her shirt then pulled it up to reveal her stomach. He leaned down to kiss around her bellybutton. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed her exposed torso.

"And I know when I do this... it makes you laugh." He said, as he kissed across her stomach and over to her side causing her to laugh out loud.

"Stop it! Stop it!" She screamed out in between laughter.

Jackson laughed with her as he moved back up to her face and lay beside her. He reached out to push a lock of hair from her face as he watched her laugh. He had known years ago that he loved her, but moments like this were what made him fall for her over and over again.

With his heart racing, he lightly grabbed her chin and turned her face toward him before he leaned down, giving her a sweet kiss. Afterwards, he pulled back a little but kept his eyes locked on hers as he said, "And I know I love you."

Teagan grinned at his words, sure she already knew that, but anytime she heard him say it she could swear her heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his face down toward her to press her lips against his.

She groaned when he slipped his tongue in her mouth and pulled his body closer to hers, wanting him on top of her. Even if she still felt a little nervous, she still wanted to be as close to him as possible.

With one of his hands tangled up in her hair, he rested his other hand on her outer thigh, wishing she had on something other than blue jeans. He was really itching to feel her bare skin again. He grabbed her leg and hooked it around his waist as he grinded against her.

When she felt how excited he was, the nerves took over again. She was starting to wonder if she should have taken Avery's advice and had an alcoholic drink before starting all of this.

"Wait... wait... Jackson, stop." Teagan breathed out, as she pulled her head away to stop the kissing.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked, as he tried to catch his breath.

"Nothing. I-I just think we need to stop." Teagan said.

"Why?" Jackson asked confused. Before she could answer he leaned down to softly kiss her then said, "We're just getting to the good stuff."

"Jackson... Jackson... that's enough." Teagan said in between kisses.

When he didn't back off on his own, she laid her hands on his chest and pushed him off of her. He looked at her with an annoyed expression then asked, "What is your problem?"

"I told you to stop." Teagan snapped.

"But why? It's not like we're virgins here, T. So what the hell is the problem?" Jackson asked again.

"I know I just... I think... my dad should be home soon and I don't want to get caught." Teagan lied. For a moment she thought about telling him the truth, that she was scared, but seeing as how he was already annoyed, she figured now was not a good time.

Jackson clenched his jaw to keep his anger in check, but he couldn't help but feel aggravated with her. He stood up from the bed and began to gather his books, planning to leave before he said something he would regret.

"I'm sorry." Teagan said softly, as she watched him.

"This is bullshit Teagan. It was your idea to come to your house, it was your idea to 'study' in your room. You were completely in to it a minute ago then you put on the breaks cause of some bullshit excuse about your dad coming home. I thought you wanted this." Jackson snapped.

"I do, Jackson. I do want this." Teagan said, as she stood up from the bed and walked over toward him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his, trying to show him how much she wanted him.

"I love you. I love you so much." Teagan mumbled against his lips before she began to kiss him again.

Jackson hesitated for a moment before he dropped his books and gave in to her kisses. He wrapped his arms around her waist and backed them up until her back hit the wall. He had never wanted someone as much as he wanted her right now.

He placed one hand on the wall beside her head and moved his other hand in between them to unbutton her blue jeans. As he went to slip his hands inside her pants she broke the kiss and pulled his hand away to stop him. He groaned angrily and slapped the wall beside her before taking several steps back.

Without a word, he picked up his books again then walked over to the bedroom door to jerk it open and walk out into the hall. She quickly buttoned her pants then raced out after him.

"Jackson!" Teagan called out, then called out again when he ignored her, "Jackson, where are you going?"

"Home." Jackson snapped, then added sarcastically, "Since you don't wanna get caught by daddy."

"Jackson, wait." Teagan said, as she reached out and grabbed his arm. She opened her mouth, ready to tell him the truth and just hope he understood. But before she could say a word, she heard Aspen start to bark, followed by the front door opening as her dad walked into the house.

"Hey Jackson, good to see you again." Paul said happily, as he stuck out his hand to shake the boy's hand.

"You too, Mr. Young." Jackson said back with a smile.

"Hey what did I tell you years ago, call me Paul." Her dad said, smiling.

"Right, sorry, Paul." Jackson said.

"How you doing kiddo?" Paul asked, as he gave his daughter a hug.

"Good, Dad." Teagan answered, as she hugged him back.

"Well I got a case to look over so I'll be in my office. You two kids have fun." Paul said, as he turned to walk away until a thought hit him and he turned to add, "But make sure you keep your bedroom door open ok?"

"Ok Dad, jeeze." Teagan said with a small laugh.

Paul looked at the two and smiled, he was happy to hear that they had gotten back together. He knew how much Teagan cared for the boy and he could tell he felt the same about his daughter, but he didn't want to see her get into any kind of trouble like other young girls her age do with their boyfriends. He was too young to be a grandparent.

With a wave, Paul left the two teens and walked toward the back of the house where his office was located.

Jackson, feeling bad for his behavior earlier looked over at his girlfriend with an apologetic smile on his face. He thought she was trying to avoid having sex with him for some crazy reason, but she was telling the truth, her dad was about to come home.

Jackson leaned forward to softly kiss her lips, as if to say he was sorry, then asked, "You still want to study?"

"You're staying?" Teagan asked surprised.

Jackson reached out to grab her hand as he nodded his head to answer.

She knew she should still tell him what she was feeling, but now that her dad was home and could possibly overhear she chickened out. Now she wasn't sure when she would talk to him about it, but knew it was going to have to be soon. She just hoped he would understand.

**~(That night)~**

Avery parked her car in the same spot as the day before, and used her phone to light her way through the woods.

She was going back to see Derek.

Once she reached the house she paused again, it still bothered her that he was living in the house her mom had died in.

An uneasy feeling rose in her stomach and she almost turned and left, but instead she continued onto the porch and opened the old, creaky door.

Derek had been tracking the alpha through the woods, but he stopped when he heard the familiar sound of the door on his house.

Concentrating on the noise he heard Avery say his name from inside of the house.

Turning around he ran back to the house as fast as he could.

"Derek?" Avery called out again.

His car was outside so she was she sure he was home.

Rushing in the front door he looked at her as she turned to face him.

"What are you doing in the woods, it's dark." He said, gruffly.

Her smile fell, "I came to see you… obviously."

"Why?" He demanded to know.

His senses were on high alert from tracking the alpha and he was worried something could have happened to Avery, he cared far too much about her now to lose her.

"I'm kind of wondering that myself." She admitted, looking hurt.

"You have to go, get out of this house and out of the woods." He said.

"Will you please talk to me, what's going on?" She asked.

"You need to leave." Derek told her again, his voice louder than before.

Taking a deep breath she arched her eyebrow and said, "I'm getting whiplash here, this morning you wanted me around and now you're just demanding I leave?"

"Yes, go." He said, as he could still hear the alpha out in the woods.

"No, Derek. I'm not going anywhere, not until you tell me what the hell is wrong?" She asked, her voice full of attitude as she spoke to him.

He turned his head sideways and focused on the noises outside, he could hear the alphas breathing getting quieter as it moved farther away; he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to track it's scent.

He had to get rid of Avery and go after the alpha.

"Come on, I'll explain later." He said as he grabbed her arm and started to pull her towards the door.

She firmly planted her heels against the old wood floor and jerked her arm from his grip.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked, her eyes glossy from tears.

"Get back to your car, run there." He instructed his voice in a growl.

"I am not going anywhere until I understand what happened, you can growl at me all you want… I already told you I don't scare easily." She said standing her ground.

He grabbed her arm again and when she tried to pull away he roughly pushed her against the wall.

"Let me go." She said in a pained voice as she struggled against his grip, and her back ached from the impact.

The last thing he wanted to do was act like this with her, but he needed her to run for safety and get back on the alpha's trail before he lost the scent.

Her eyes met his and she gasped as his eyes glowed blue and he growled, "Get out of here, Avery."

She swallowed hard as she could see his canine fangs when he yelled into her face.

He could hear her heart start to race from fear and he let go of her, backing up some.

Reaching down she straightened out her vest and let out the breath she had been holding.

He was about ready to just throw her over a shoulder and run to her car with her when she didn't move.

She knew he could hear her heartbeat to see when she was lying, but it didn't matter. She wasn't going to run from the house screaming and crying like a little girl.

"I'm leaving, but not because I'm afraid of you. I'm leaving because I… I don't think I want to see you again. You tried so hard to convince me you were different, but you're just like all the others… you got what you wanted from me and now you're done. Stupid me, I actually believed you." She said, barely able to keep back her tears as she turned and walked to the door.

Pausing she turned around to face him again, "This would have been a lot less painful if you'd just let me sneak out this morning."

She watched as his teeth go back to normal and his eyes stopped glowing blue.

She bit down hard on the side of her tongue and walked at a normal pace until she was out of sight from the house and in the woods before she took a deep breath and finally let the tears start falling.

Taking in a few deep shaky breaths, she sprinted towards her car needing to get out of there as fast as possible.

Derek stood in the house, he could tell by her breathing that she was crying and he knew it was his fault, but better she was heartbroken than dead and he needed to follow the alpha.

Once he heard her car start he raced out the back door of the house, trying to pick back up on the alphas scent.

**~()~**

Teagan was standing on her front porch with her arms wrapped around Jackson's neck as she kissed him 'good-bye'. The two had been trying to say 'bye' for the last twenty minutes, but just couldn't keep their hands or lips off of each other. But when they heard a car park in front of her house, the two pulled away to see a clearly upset Avery walking towards them.

"Avery?" Teagan asked surprised as she watched her best friend walk up the steps.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked. He might not be as close to Avery as his girlfriend, but they were still friends and he was concerned for her.

"I need to borrow your girlfriend." Avery said without stopping to chat any further with him, she grabbed Teagan's arm and began to pull her towards the front door as she said, "Say good night Teagan."

"Uh, night? See you tomorrow." Teagan called out to him confused by her friend's actions.

Jackson waved at the two girls with a confused expression on his face as he watched Avery drag Teagan into her house and shut the front door. He shook his head and softly chuckled, as he walked away from the house to his car. Leave it to Avery to be over dramatic about something.

"Avery, what is going on?" Teagan asked concerned, after the two girls were alone in the house.

Avery ignored her question as she walked away and made her way towards the kitchen. Teagan followed along behind her and watched as she opened the freezer door and pulled out the chocolate ice cream.

She sat it down on the island in the middle of the kitchen then walked over to the cupboard to grab a jar of peanut butter. Lastly she grabbed a spoon from the drawer and walked back over to the ice cream.

She opened the jar and carton then grabbed the spoon to scoop a spoonful of peanut butter then scoop out some chocolate ice cream before shoving it in her mouth.

"Ok seriously A, what the hell is going on?" Teagan asked starting to freak out. She never saw Avery pig out like this unless she was upset and just had her heart broken.

"He's the same." Avery mumbled, as she shoved another spoonful of peanut butter and ice cream in her mouth.

"Who's the same?" Teagan asked confused.

"Derek!" Avery exclaimed, "He's just like every other guy. I thought he was different, he told me he was different but he's the same as the rest."

Teagan opened her mouth to say something but before she could, Avery balled her fist and slammed it down on the counter as she added, "Damn it, it even felt different. So what happened?"

"I don't know." Teagan said honestly, still having no idea what happened.

"What happened tonight A? You were so happy earlier today, what did Derek do?" Teagan asked.

Avery wiped the tears from her face then said, "I went to see him tonight and it was like he couldn't stand to be around me. He kept telling me to leave."

"I'm sorry." Teagan said sincerely as she wrapped her arms around her.

"The asshole even growled at me. Can you believe that?" Avery said without thinking.

"Wait, what? Growled?" Teagan asked confused, as she pulled back.

"I-I just mean he was really mad, like all 'grr' you know?" Avery lied.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Teagan asked with wide eyes.

"Not physically..." Avery said softly as she reached out to grab the spoon again.

"Uh, no. You've had enough. Trust me, you'll thank me tomorrow." Teagan joked as she took the spoon away.

"Thanks." Avery said with a small chuckle.

"You wanna stay the night? We can watch silly movies and not even think about boys all night." Teagan suggested.

"That sounds perfect." Avery said, "Sorry for ruining your night with Jackson."

"It's ok, besides he was about to leave anyway." Teagan said. She thought about talking to Avery about what happened with Jackson earlier but knew now was not a good time cause of the Derek thing, but Avery could tell something was bothering her.

"What did Jackson do?" Avery asked with a sigh, figuring he had done something wrong.

"It's nothing." Teagan said, as she placed a spoon full of peanut butter and ice cream in her mouth.

"Uh-huh sure." Avery said not believing her as she took the spoon out of Teagan's hand this time.

"Ok come on. Grab the peanut butter and I'll grab the ice cream." Avery said, as she grabbed the carton and began to walk out of the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Teagan asked, as she grabbed the jar and followed along behind her.

"We are going to go bitch about boys and pig out. Just get it all out of our systems, then tomorrow we're going to go jogging and forget about all of our problems. Sound good?" Avery suggested.

"Sounds great." Teagan agreed, as the two girls ran up the stairs and into her bedroom where they ate, cried and talked all night long.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for reading, hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter.**

**What are you thinking of season 3 so far? It's so intense! ^_^**

**On Miss E Charlotte's profile are links to her polyvore and tumblr accounts where she's going to start posting spoilers/sneak peaks for up coming chapter. While you're there don't forget to check out her other stories too! ^_^**

**Also, up on my profile is the link to my polyvore account and I have another Teen Wolf story too.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having a blast writing this and your kind words and support mean so much to us!**


	14. School Scare

**School Scare- Chapter 14**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Teagan and Avery were both a little late to their first period classes the next day. They had taken Aspen for an early morning run before school to work off all the calories from the peanut butter and ice cream they had pigged out on the night before.

Avery breathed out a huge sigh of relief when she saw there was a substitute teacher in chemistry, she didn't think she could handle Mr. Harris calling her out on being late to class.

She took her seat beside Stiles and took her phone out, frowning when she saw she didn't have any new texts or calls.

The substitute teacher put in a movie for every to watch, but everyone was talking instead of watching it.

"Hey Avery." Stiles said, as he looked up from where he had been scribbling in his notebook.

"Hey Stiles." She greeted back, her voice quiet.

His eyes widened and he looked over at her, she hardly ever said hi back to him.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine, why? Don't I seem fine?" She asked as she turned her head and looked at him.

Her make-up was flawless and she had curled her hair that day, but no amount of beauty products could hide the sadness in her eyes.

"Is it Teagan?" He asked, scooting his lab stool closer to her.

She shook her head no as she looked over her homework for economics.

"Derek?" Stiles continued to question her.

"Can you please not do this?" She asked with a heavy sigh.

"I just want to know what's bothering you." He said honestly.

"I'm fine, really." She said flashing him a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

She went to move her purse to get the bottle of water she had in it but accidently knocked it off the edge of the table between them.

Avery let out a small whine and started to lean down, "It's okay… I got it." Stiles said.

She nodded and rubbed her temples wishing she gone home from Teagan's house this morning.

He quickly gathered her belongings that had spilled out back in her purse and then picked up a dark gray t-shirt that had been folded up.

He thought it looked too big to be her shirt.

"You always carry your clothes in your purse?" He asked, trying to joke.

Her eyes grew glossy from tears and she took the shirt from him.

"It isn't mine." She said quietly as she folded the soft fabric of the shirt back up.

"It's Derek's shirt… I was going to return it to him." She said as she held the shirt in her lap.

He asked the first question that popped into his head, without even thinking twice, "Why do you have Derek's shirt? How'd you get it?"

She looked over him with an arched eyebrow and his brown eyes widened, "Oh my god, no… I did not mean to ask that."

"Because I'm in idiot, that's why." She said, her voice a little hoarse as she spoke.

She had sworn after all the tears she wasted on him the night before she wasn't going to shed anymore over him.

Pinning her eyes shut she shook her head back and forth, refusing to break down again.

"No, you're not." He said, a little surprised to see how upset she was.

He knew she'd been dating Derek, but he didn't realize how much she really cared about him.

"Whatever happened, it's on him. He's the idiot." Stiles said.

Avery scoffed and shook her head.

"We could burn it." Stiles offered.

She looked over at him and let out a small laugh.

"I seriously considered that last night. But honestly, I think I just held onto it as an excuse to see him again. I was going to go by his house after school." She admitted to him.

She hadn't even told Teagan that she was planning on seeing him again, she just felt like she needed some kind of explanation for what happened.

Stiles was quiet, he didn't know what happened between them but he couldn't understand how guys like Derek always got the girl.

"Can you give it back to him for me?" She asked.

"What?" Stiles asked.

"Please? I want him to have it back but I don't want to go see him." She said, as her sad eyes met his.

"Okay, I'll give him his shirt." Stiles said as he reached over to take it from her, but she held onto it.

He tugged on the fabric but she didn't release her grip.

"Are you going to let go or am I supposed to pry it out of your hands." Stiles asked with a half-smile.

"Thank you, Stiles." She said as she let go of the shirt and watched as he tucked it into his book bag.

**~()~**

That afternoon, Teagan walked down the almost empty hallway with Allison as she headed for her locker. The other girl was going on about how excited she was about her aunt being in town and about Scott coming to her house to study, but Teagan was lost in her own thoughts as she wondered how Avery was doing.

She knew usual after a night of peanut butter-slash-ice cream followed by a morning jog Avery would bounce back to her old self and move on to the next guy, but she wasn't bouncing back as fast as she usually did and Teagan was worried.

"Hello? Are you there?" Allison joked, as she waved a hand in front of Teagan's face.

"What? Sorry." Teagan said, as she pushed her thoughts aside and looked over at Allison.

"I asked if you had any plans today." Allison explained, "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just worried about Avery." Teagan admitted.

"Yeah I meant to ask you about her earlier. She didn't seem like herself today. What happened?" Allison asked.

"Things aren't going so well with Derek." Teagan answered but didn't go into details out of respect for Avery.

"Oh no that's sucks. She really liked him." Allison said sincerely.

"I know and I hate seeing her hurting like this. I was just starting to think that maybe I misjudged him. I mean if Avery liked him that much and he was making her that happy, then there had to be something good about him right? But now I'm so pissed I could scream. He hurt her the way I feared he would." Teagan said, feeling her hands shake with anger as she thought about how upset Avery was the night before and all because of that jerk Derek.

"Maybe I should cancel with Scott and we can all go over and cheer her up." Allison suggested, feeling bad for her new friend.

"No go be with Scott. Avery would hate it if you cancelled cause then you would have no dirty details to tell." Teagan joked, "Besides I'm going to swing by and check on her. But I'll tell her know you asked about her."

Allison nodded her head in thanks then gave her a quick hug to say 'good-bye' before making her way towards the parking lot. Teagan took a left to go to her locker then froze when she saw Derek up ahead leaning against a wall.

He didn't look good at all and she couldn't help but feel happy about that. After what he did to Avery she wanted him to hurt as much as Avery was hurting.

As her best friend's heartbroken expression crossed her mind, she balled her hands into fists and narrowed her eyes in anger as she began to walk towards the older guy. Normally she wasn't the confrontational type, especially to big scary guys, but right now she was too mad to be scared.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here Derek." Teagan snapped, as she stopped in front of him.

Derek looked over at the brunette surprised that she approached him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through the pain, he didn't have time to fight with her, he needed to find Scott and fast.

Derek ignored her comment as he hissed out, "Where's Scott McCall?"

Teagan scoffed then said, "Seriously? You broke my best friend's heart and now you show up out of the blue looking for Scott? Screw you Derek!"  
"Avery will live." Derek said, in more ways then one since he chased her away the night before.

"Where's Scott?" He asked again, feeling his patience wearing thin.

"I'm not telling you anything other than where you can go and trust me, it's not a good place." Teagan snapped as she went to walk past him.

She had only taken a few steps when Derek reached out with his good arm to grab her arm, bringing her to a stop. He pulled her toward him before hissing in her ear, "I'm not the bad guy you think I am. Trust me, I did Avery a favor."

"Keep telling yourself that." Teagan mumbled, as she tried to pull her arm away which only caused him to hold on to her even tighter.

"You're hurting me. Let me go." She cried, as she tried to pull away from him again.

Derek looked down in surprise, he didn't meant to hurt her, but before he could release her arm, he felt someone shove him back into the row of lockers.

He bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain then looked up to see an angry Jackson in front of him. He fought hard not to roll this eyes, he definitely didn't have time to fight with this jackass.

"What the hell is your problem man?" Jackson asked angrily, as he lightly grabbed Teagan's arm to pull her behind him. He had no idea what had happened, all he knew was he turned the corner and saw Avery's latest fling holding his girlfriend by her arm and he saw red.

Derek ignored his question as pushed himself from the lockers and said, "I'll find him myself."

"Hey, I'm talking to you." Jackson snapped, as he reached out to grab Derek's arm.

In a flash Derek spun around and pushed Jackson into the locker with his hand on the back of his neck, causing Teagan to jump with a surprised gasp. Jackson winced in pain when he felt something pierce his neck. Derek looked down in surprise to see his claws were out, he carefully pulled them out of the boy's neck then turned around to walk away without another word.

Teagan rushed over to Jackson with a worried expression on her face. She saw him laid a hand on the back of his neck then reached up to pull it away as she said, "Here, let me see."

Jackson let her pull his hand away and heard her small gasp when she looked at the cut on his neck. For the life of her she couldn't figure out how Derek was able to cut him like that, it wasn't like he had a weapon on him as far as she could see; besides it didn't look like a knife cut or anything. It was a couple deep, small holes, like a sharp claw or something had cut him, which made no sense to her.

But she didn't have time to think about it much, she needed to get him help. She wrapped her arm around him then said, "Come on, let's see if the nurse is still here."

"I'm going to kick that jerk's ass." Jackson mumbled as he laid his hand on his neck again, "First he's going around selling shit to McCall to make him better than me, then he's screwing around with Avery and now he's putting his hands on you. He's dead, I'll kill him."

"No you won't. I think we should all just stay away from him and if he does show up again we'll just call the police so they can throw him back in jail where he belongs." Teagan said, as she led him down the hallway toward the nurse's office.

Jackson shook his head then looked down at her arm, seeing the tiny bruises from where he grabbed her, "He hurt you T, I'm not just letting that go."

"He hurt you too." Teagan pointed out.

Jackson scoffed and tried to pretend it was no big deal as he said, "This is just a scratch. I don't care about that, but I do care about someone having their hands on my girl."

Teagan came to a stop and smiled at his words, then she turned to face him as she said, "And I love you for that, I do, but the guy looked crazed and dangerous. Something is not right with him."

"But..."

"I know Jackson, I get it trust me." Teagan began to say as she interrupted him, "After he hurt Avery and you, I want to kill him myself, but let's just stay away from him ok?"

Jackson wanted to argue with her, but when she looked at him the way she was, he couldn't say 'no' to her. He had always had that problem when it came to her.

He took a deep breath then slowly released it as he nodded his head, letting her know he agreed with her. She smiled then rose up on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss then said, "Good. Now let's go get this cleaned up."

The two continued to walk to the nurse's office hand and hand. When they reached the door to the office, Teagan led Jackson over toward a group of chairs and said, "Sit here and I'll go see if she is still in, if not I'll see if I can find something to clean it myself ok?"

When Jackson nodded his head, she walked over to the office door and walked into the small room. She didn't see the nurse but she did see one of her fellow students with his back toward her as he looked out the window.

"Hey, is Ms. Banks still here?" Teagan asked him.

"Yeah, she's looking for a wrist brace but she'll be right back." He said, as he turned around to face her.

Teagan smiled in surprise when she saw it was Isaac. Since getting back together with Jackson, she had not seen him much and was actually kind of missing their talks. She frowned when she saw him holding his wrist and walked over toward him.

"What happened?" She asked, as she reached out to hold his wrist.

Isaac bit his bottom lip and tried to ignore the tingles as her finger tips lightly caressed his skin. When he saw her look up at him waiting for him to answer he cleared his throat and said, "I uh, I tripped earlier and hurt my wrist. It's just a sprain I think."

He hated lying to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't tell her that his dad had hurt him earlier that morning and he went through the school day in pain, hoping the pain would finally go away. Once he realized it wouldn't, he finally gave in and went to the nurse's office, where he gave her the same excuse that he was giving Teagan.

"It feels like more than a sprain." Teagan mumbled, as she felt on his wrist and quickly apologized when he hissed out in pain.

"Have you ever broken your wrist before?" She asked him, when she felt something.

"No." Isaac lied. Not wanting to tell her about the time his dad broke his wrist but refused to take him to the doctor.

"Why?" Isaac asked.

"Cause it feels like your bone was broken before but was never been placed back right." Teagan explained.

"How do you know that?" Isaac asked surprised.

"My mom was a nurse." Teagan answered then added with a small smile, "She used to teach me the things she learned."

"So you played doctor for real with your mom." Isaac joked.

Teagan laughed then said, "Yeah, yeah I did. I never knew until I was older that I was playing it wrong."

Isaac laughed back and looked at her, talking to Teagan had always been easy and he had honestly missed it. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could they heard someone clear their throat and the two turned their heads to see Ms. Banks and a pissed off Jackson.

When Isaac saw the look Jackson was giving him when Teagan wasn't looking, he took a quick step back almost tripping over a chair. Teagan rushed over toward him to help keep him from falling but he roughly pushed her back from him.

She looked at him with a confused expression, wondering why he didn't want her help. Without a word, Isaac walked over to the nurse and took the brace from her hands before leaving the room like he couldn't get away from them all fast enough.

As the nurse cleaned Jackson's cuts and bandaged him up, Teagan glanced over at the door Isaac just rushed out of and wondered what was going on with him. She thought they were on the path to being friends after the few times they had talked and even just now things were good then it was like he couldn't stand to be around her.

Once the nurse was done and had left the room, Teagan glanced over at Jackson and asked, "Did you say something to Isaac?"

"What?" Jackson asked with a chuckle, "Why the hell would I talk to Lahey?"

"You didn't answer my question." Teagan said, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Jackson asked angrily, then added,"I got a cut on my neck trying to protect you from Avery's flavor of the month and all you can worry about is Lahey?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Teagan said with a sigh, as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Then would you mind telling me what you are trying to say cause I'm confused here T." Jackson said.

"I don't know. I just... I thought we were friends." Teagan admitted softly.

"Who? You and Lahey?" Jackson asked surprised.

Teagan nodded her head then asked again. "You haven't said anything to him right?"

"No, I haven't spoken to him." Jackson said, which wasn't really a lie. He never said a word to the boy, he got a few of his friends to have a chat with him, but she didn't need to know that.

"Ok." Teagan said, believing him.

**~( A few hours later)~**

Avery parked her car in the driveway and headed inside her house. There was a small part of her that hoped when she got to her room Derek would be waiting on her, but he wasn't.

Sighing she changed out of the dress of Teagan's she had borrowed for school and pulled on her favorite jeans and a black tank top.

She walked into the kitchen to see her dad sitting at the table looking through a binder.

"You didn't come home last night." He said barely looking up at her.

"I stayed with Teagan." She explained as she eyed the bottles of expensive liquor sitting on the counter.

"You weren't here the night before either." He reminded her.

"I stayed with another friend." She said, as her mind flashed back to the night she had spent with Derek.

"Lydia?" He asked.

"Derek." She admitted, knowing he probably wasn't listening to her anyways.

Turning around she poured herself a glass from one of the bottles of alcohol.

"Thanks honey." Richard said as he walked over and took glass from her.

"Anytime dad." She muttered.

Avery turned to leave the kitchen but stopped when her dad asked, "Avery you're okay, right?"

"What?" She asked as she turned around and stared at him in shock.

"You're doing okay, right?" He repeated as he took a small sip from the glass and waited for a response.

"You haven't seriously asked how I'm doing in like… years." She reminded him.

"How are you?" He repeated.

"I'm fine." She said.

"How are things with you and Derek?" He asked.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. He'd never been this interested in her life before.

"You don't seem like yourself." He pointed out.

She scoffed and shook her head. Her dad hadn't been around her enough to even know what her normal behavior would be like anymore.

"I don't really think we'll be seeing Derek anymore…" She said looking down to the floor.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Do you really want to talk to me about this?" She asked him.

"I do." He said nodding.

Avery raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath as she tucked her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and said, "Okay… well, there really isn't a whole lot tell…"

A look of disappointment spread across her face as she heard his work phone beep.

He looked over at the table where his phone was and then back to her.

She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to make his decision on what was a more pressing matter; work or his daughter.

"It could be important…" He said looking back over at the phone.

Swallowing hard she smiled wide and said, "Yeah, it might be important. Just go ahead and answer it. I'm fine, things are great with Derek."

"But didn't you just say things weren't okay?" He asked as he was already walking over to his phone.

"I'm a teenage girl, I tend to overreact to things. It's fine, I'm fine… everything is fine." She said barely holding back her tears.

"Well, good. I'm glad to hear it." Richard said with a smile and a nod as he picked his phone up from the table when it rang again.

"Yeah, things really couldn't be better." She said quietly as a tear slid down her cheek as she turned to walk away.

He answered the call with a confused look on his face, wondering why if everything was fine she was crying.

* * *

**A/N- I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! ^_^ **

**If you haven't yet check out our pages we both have other Teen Wolf stories. ^_^ While on our profiles click the links to our polyvore accounts, we make sets to go alone with this and our other stories.**

**Also, Miss E Charlotte had a great idea of doing some spoiler/preview posts on her Polyvore and/or Tumblr for future chapters. We were wondering if any of you would be interested in seeing that?**

**I'd really appreciate it if you'd take just a few moments to leave a review and show us there is still interest in this story. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated more than you know. **


	15. Nordic Blue Monkshood

**Nordic Blue Monkshood- Chapter 15**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

"Hey Mr. Dukate, is Avery home?" Teagan asked as Avery's dad let her into their house.

"Teagan it's great to see you, Avery's around here somewhere." He said looking around the large entry way.

"Thanks." Teagan said with a small frown as she also looked around.

Avery and her dad lived in a very large house, with a very updated/modern style.

The house might have been nice, but it felt cold and uninviting.

Teagan and her dad also lived in a large house, but they had family pictures on the walls and their close relationship made their house always feel warm and inviting; the total opposite of the environment that Avery lived in.

Teagan turned to start down the hallway in search of her friend when Avery's dad Richard said, "Teagan, Avery's okay right?"

Teagan's brown eyes widened and she slowly turned and looked at him.

"She's okay." Teagan said nodding.

"She mentioned something about Derek earlier and then she left the room crying." He explained.

"They broke up… he kind of said some things and really hurt her." Teagan told him.

"He was a little old for her." Richard said nodding.

"My dad probably would have killed me if I brought him home." Teagan said with a small laugh.

Richard nodded, "I think Avery's mature enough to make adult decisions like who she wants to date."

Teagan smiled and nodded, but she really wanted to yell at him and say that he needed to step up and be a father.

"He seemed like a good enough though guy, right?" Richard asked, wondering what happened with him and Avery.

"I think he kind of had everyone fooled into thinking that… I think sometimes Avery just feels vulnerable and the wrong kind of people can pick up on it." Teagan said, choosing her words carefully.

He shook his head, "Avery is a lot of things but vulnerable isn't one of them. That girl is strong."

Teagan stared at him with a slightly blank expression, she had no idea how on earth he couldn't see how much pain Avery carried around with her.

"She is pretty strong." Teagan finally said.

"Is there a reason she didn't tell me what happened between her and Derek?" Richard continued to ask her.

"I can't really answer that, I'm not sure of the whole story myself." Teagan lied, wishing he'd talk to Avery instead of quizzing her.

"She doesn't really talk to me at all." Richard admitted as he looked down to the marble floor of the entryway.

"Avery knows you're busy with work, she just doesn't want to bother you when you've already go so much on your mind." Teagan offered.

"Well, Teagan… I'm glad she's got a friend like you. It's good to see you're just as close before you moved away." He said, as his phone rang from his pocket.

"If you'll excuse me, this could be important." He said as he answered the phone.

Teagan nodded as she turned and walked farther into the house.

Richard frowned when he saw the same expression come over Teagan's face that Avery got every time his phone rang.

"Hey A." Teagan said as she found Avery sitting in the back living room of the house with her laptop on her lap.

"T…" Avery greeted, not sure what her friend was doing there.

"You doing okay?" She asked, as she sat down on the couch beside her.

"Not really." Avery admitted.

"We could go shopping, or take Aspen for another run… a mini road trip for the rest of the day. Whatever you want to do." Teagan offered, wanting to cheer her friend up.

"I don't really feel like doing anything. I'd really just like to be alone, it's a little easier to wallow in my own self-pity when I don't have an audience." Avery said bluntly.

"I'm just worried about you." Teagan said as she scooted back on the couch and laid her head on Avery's shoulder.

"Where's Jackson?" Avery questioned.

"At home I think, I told him I couldn't hang out today… I needed to come check on my best friend." Teagan explained.

"I appreciate it, T. But I really just want… at least the rest of the day to deal with this on my own." Avery said as she closed her computer and laid it down on the coffee table with a heavy sigh.

Teagan didn't want to leave her best friend alone when she was hurting, but she knew Avery did like to deal with emotional pain on her own. She hated for anyone to see her cry, even her best friend.

"I'm just a phone call away… maybe we can get lunch after school tomorrow or something." Teagan offered as she reached over and hugged her friend.

"Yeah, I think I'll feel better tomorrow." Avery said hugging her back.

Teagan lingered in the door way for a few seconds longer before leaving her friend.

She wanted to tell Avery about what happened with Derek at school earlier that day, but she didn't want to bring him up and upset her anymore.

**~()~**

It was over an hour later when Avery was sitting in their 2nd living room flipping through the channels on the large screen TV hoping to find something to distract her.

"Are you hungry?" Richard asked as he walked in the room with her.

"I'll probably eat a salad later or something, I ate my weight in ice cream and peanut butter last night." She admitted not taking her eyes off the TV.

"Here." Richard said as he walked in and laid three cellphones down on the coffee table.

She looked at him confused.

"How about we go get dinner? No phones." He said.

"Are you serious?" She asked a smile spreading over her lips.

"Go get your coat." He said.

Avery jumped up from the couch and headed up the stairs to get her leather jacket.

"Ready?" Richard asked as he met her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah…" She started to say but her phone went off in her pocket.

"If I'm leaving my phones here, so are you." He said to her.

Nodding she walked into the 2nd living room and decided she'd take a quick peek at the text message.

It was a message from Stiles saying that she needed to get to the animal clinic as soon as she could, Derek had been hurt.

"Avery, we need to get going." Richard said as he came to see what was taking her so long.

"I… I have to go. I'm sorry, I can't do dinner tonight." She said as she tucked her phone in her pocket and headed towards the door.

"Avery, I had all my calls and messages forwarded to the manager at the bank. I cleared my schedule, what do you have to do that could possible by more important than a family dinner?" He asked, irritated.

"I'm really sorry, dad." She apologized again before running out the front door and getting into her car.

She drove to the animal clinic in silence, her mind was racing wondering what could have happened if he was going to be okay.

Then she wondered why out of all people Stiles was the one to message her about it.

She pulled into the parking lot to see it was empty, she drove around back where Stiles had texted her to go.

"Is this a freaking joke?" She mumbled to herself as she shut her car off and started to text him when he pulled up next to the building.

Getting out of her car she slowly walked up to his jeep, watching while he got out of the car and pulled up a sliding door to the building.

She stopped when she saw the passenger door to the jeep open and Derek stumbled out and slowly walked behind Stiles into the building.

As she quietly walked up to the open doorway she saw he was sickly pale and seemed extremely weak.

Her heart started to race as she continued to stare at him.

Hearing the sound of her heart, he raised his head and looked at her.

"Oh my god…" She breathed out as she saw the skin around his eyes was red, and his face was covered in sweat.

Stiles watched as she walked over to him and sat down next to him on the stacked bags of cat litter against the wall.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I was shot…" He said, surprised she was there.

"Then why aren't you healing? That's something you guys do right, super-fast healing?" she asked as a tear slid down her cheek.

Derek swallowed hard and leaned his head back against the wall.

"Why isn't he healing?" She yelled panicked as she looked back to where Stiles was watching them.

"It was some kind of special bullet, for some reason his body isn't healing." Stiles explained.

"No… this isn't happening." She breathed out.

"It's happening." Stiles breathed out quietly.

She felt like the walls of the room were closing in on her and she couldn't catch her breath.

Derek moved his head and shot Stiles an angry look. He didn't know that he'd texted Avery about this.

She looked to the arm he was holding onto.

"Let me see it." She demanded looking at him.

"Trust me you don't want to…" Stiles said.

"Derek, let me see it." She said again as she gently started to pull the sleeve of his long sleeve shirt up to see the wound.

"Looking at it isn't going to help anything." He said as he caught both of her hands in his other hand.

Sliding out of his grip she raised his sleeve and looked at the infected, gaping wound from where he had cut the bullet out.

Derek heard her stop breathing as she continued to stare at the inflamed wound.

More tears fell down her cheeks and Stiles watched as she pulled his sleeve back down and scooted over beside him as she gently held onto his injured arm and intertwined her fingers with his.

"It's… it doesn't look all that bad." She announced after a few deep breathes.

Derek turned his head and looked at her as he let out a small laugh, "You know I can hear your heartbeat."

"What can we do to fix this?" She asked, looking between them.

"Scott's trying to find out what kind of bullet they used." Stiles spoke up and answered.

She nodded as her chin continued to quiver.

"Avery…" Derek said as he looked over at her.

"Yeah?" She asked as she her eyes met his.

Stiles walked outside of the open door and leaned against the building to give them some privacy, but he could still hear their conversation.

"You need to know that last night, I didn't make you leave because I didn't want you there. When you showed up, I was tracking the alpha." He admitted.

"It was back in the woods?" She asked.

"I should have told you what was going on, my biggest concern was you getting out of the woods and to safety and then I needed to keep tracking the alpha. I was so close until I got shot." He said.

"So you made me leave because you were trying to protect me?" She asked softly.

Stiles took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the cold metal siding on the back of the building.

She looked down to their connected hands and then her eyes met his.

"I'm sorry." He said, his tone sincere as he spoke.

"It's okay." She said shaking her head.

"No, I…" He started to say something but she cut him off with a kiss.

Stiles walked back in the room just in time to see them break their kiss, he looked down to the floor as a pained expression spread over his face.

"You're burning up…" Avery breathed out as she felt his forehead and cheeks.

"It's the infection." He said quietly.

"I'll be right back."' She said as she walked farther into the building.

Once she was gone Derek looked at Stiles.

"What the hell was that? You said you were texting Scott." Derek said angrily.

"I was texting Scott when you asked me who I was texting." Stiles defended.

"Why didn't you want her to know anyways?" Stiles asked.

"If Scott can't find out what was in those bullets and my last resort fails…" His voice trailed off.

"It would be easier on her if she was mad at you." Stiles realized.

"Yeah, it would have been." Derek said his gaze dark as he looked at Stiles.

"I was just trying to help her, I thought she should know what was going on." He said.

"Stand up job." Derek shot back at him.

"I didn't even think you really liked her." Stiles continued.

Derek scoffed and shook his head at his statement.

"You didn't think I liked her?" He asked.

"I didn't think you were even capable of caring about someone." Stiles said as he looked at his phone and hoped Scott called soon.

"Just shut up." Derek said as he nodded to the door.

A few moments later Avery walked through the door with some cold, wet paper towels as she put one over the back of his neck and folded another up to hold against his forehead.

After a little while Derek said, "You know the paper towels aren't helping."

"When I was younger and sick with a fever I'd wet washcloths with cold water to help bring it down." She said as she continued to hold the paper towel to his forehead.

"You had to take care of yourself when you were sick as kid?" Stiles asked her surprised.

"But I'm not sick with a fever, it's the infection spreading." Derek said as he grabbed her wrist and moved it away from his face.

"I don't care, doing this makes me feel like I'm doing something instead of sitting here completely helpless. This makes me feel better, so let me do it." She said, her light brown eyes met his as she spoke.

He could feel her hands shaking while he still held onto her wrist.

He nodded and let go of her.

Finally Scott called and they determined that the bullet Derek had been shot with was laced with Nordic Blue Monkshood, a rare form of wolfs bane.

Derek explained that the only way to heal the wound was if Scott could bring them a bullet of the same type, or he would die.

Stiles passed the news onto his best friend and watched as Avery continued to wipe the sweat off of Derek's face.

"Scott, you have to bring us that bullet." Stiles said as he felt his heart break at seeing how much Avery did care about Derek.

They sat in silence for almost 30 minutes before Derek stood up.

"Where are you going?" Avery asked him.

"Stiles." Derek said as he nodded for him to follow.

She started to follow them.

"Stay here." Derek told her.

"No way." She said shaking her head back and forth.

"Avery…" Derek started to argue with her.

But she put a hand on the side of his sweat peppered, pale cheek and said, "I'm not leaving your side, you can't make me."

Derek shot Stiles another angry look before he grabbed the back of his shirt with his good arm and pushed him down the hallway and into one of the exam rooms.

Once inside the room Derek pulled his shirt off and rested his injured arm on the metal exam table and they all looked at the wound.

His veins were a dark purple color from where the infection was spreading even more.

"You know it really doesn't look like anything a goodnights sleep and some Echinacea couldn't take care of." Stiles said as he started to feel sick to his stomach.

"When the infection reaches my heart it will kill me." Derek said, not looking over to Avery he didn't want to see the look on her face.

"Positivity just isn't in your vocabulary is it?" Stiles asked as Derek started to open up drawers in the room.

Avery wiped a few tears from her cheeks as she watched Derek.

"What are you looking for?" She finally asked her voice hoarse.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time, I have a last resort." Derek explained to them.

"Okay, good. We have a backup plan." Avery said, trying to calm her nerves some.

"What's the last resort?" Stiles asked.

Pulling a saw from one of the drawers Derek looked at Stiles and said, "You're going to cut off my arm."

"I don't like our backup plan." Avery said looking at Derek with her eyebrows pushed together in frustration.

Derek tied a tourniquet on his upper arm above where his veins were discolored.

"What if you bleed to death?" Stiles asked as he stared at the bone saw in horror.

"I'll heal if it works." Derek said.

"Look… I don't know if I can do this." Stiles said, as he choked back vomit in his throat.

"Why not?" Derek asked, his voice in a pained growl.

"Well because of cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone and especially the blood." Stiles said leaning over the table and taking a few deep breaths.

"You faint at the sight of blood?" Derek asked him.

"No, but I might at the sight of a chopped off arm." Stiles said.

"Stiles…" Avery said as she walked up next to him.

"Yeah?" he asked looking at her.

"If Scott doesn't get here with the bullet, I need you to cut his arm off." She said, not believing the words that came out of her mouth.

"You… you actually want me to cut his arm off?" Stiles asked her in disbelief.

"I'd rather him be one arm down than dead. I need you to do this, okay?" she asked him.

Stiles took a deep breath and thought about what she'd said; she said she needed him.

"Okay." Stiles said as an even sicker feeling rose in his stomach.

Derek made a gagging sound and they looked at him as he puked up a black substance on the floor.

"Holy god, what the hell is that?" Stiles yelled disgusted.

"It's my body trying to heal itself." Derek breathed out.

"Oh god…" Avery said with a pained expression on her face.

"You have to do it now!" Derek yelled as he laid his injured arm across the table.

"I honestly don't think I can." Stiles said.

"Do it!" Derek yelled as he could feel the infection making him weaker by the second.

"Oh my god…" Stiles breathed out as he turned the saw on then shut it back off.

"If you don't do this, he will die." Avery said, her entire body was shaking.

"Alright… here we go." Stiles yelled as he laid the saw against Derek's skin and was about to turn it on when Scott ran into the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" Scott yelled wide eyed as he saw what Stiles was about to do.

"You just prevented a life time of nightmares, my friend." Stiles said.

"Please tell me you got the bullet." Avery said her eyes were red from crying as she looked at Scott.

He pulled the bullet from his pocket and handed it to Derek.

"What are you going to do with it?" Scott asked.

Derek picked the bullet up and looked at it as he said "I'm gonna… I'm gonna…" He never got to finish his sentence as he passed out.

"Derek!" Avery yelled as she dropped to the floor beside him.

The bullet rolled across the floor and fell into a drain on the floor.

"What do we do now?" Stile asked, panic in his voice.

"I don't know!" Scott yelled as he strained to get his fingers through the grate to retrieve the bullet.

"He's not waking up!" Stiles yelled.

"Just hold on!" Scott yelled.

Stiles looked at Avery and the horrified look on her face as she looked back at him.

"I think he's dying." Stiles said, his eyes wide.

"Do something…" Avery pleaded her voice hoarse as she looked at him.

"Please don't kill me for this…" Stiles said to Derek before he raised his fist and punched him as hard as he could.

Derek's eyes popped open and he looked around.

"Here." Scott said as he handed him the bullet and he and Stiles pulled Derek to his feet.

Derek used his teeth to break into the shell of the bullet, before he poured out the Monkshood and lit the powder on fire.

Avery stood beside Scott and held her breath as she watched Derek as he took a deep breath and pushed the powder deep into his wound.

He yelled in pain as he dropped to the floor and thrashed around.

His eyes glowed blue and his teeth showed as he screamed out in pain again, followed by a deep growl.

The wound healed and disappeared before their eyes.

"Thank god…" Avery breathed out relieved.

"Thank you." She said as she hugged Scott.

Stiles watched and mumbled, "No, you don't need to thank me or anything…"

Once she let go of Scott she went to Derek who was back on his feet, she leaned down and inspected his arm closely.

"It's fine… I'm healed." He said still breathing heavily from the agonizing pain he'd been in.

Stepping forward she wrapped her arms around him.

Scott looked at Stiles and gave him an empathic look, he knew how much Stiles liked Avery and it hurt him to see her with Derek.

Avery walked outside with Derek, and Stiles caught up with them. Scott was cleaning up the room so his boss wouldn't know anyone had been in there afterhours.

"Wait… here." Stiles said as he pulled his book bag out of his jeep.

He took Derek's shirt from his bag that Avery had asked him to return.

Derek took the shirt and looked at it confused, "Why does he have this?" He asked looking to Avery.

"It's a long story." She said as she watched Derek pull his shirt on.

"Thank you." She told Stiles.

"Yeah, no problem." Stiles said, his tone was a little flat from disappointment.

Avery walked with Derek over to her car as she asked, "You're going to be okay now, right?"

"I'll be fine." He assured her nodding.

"Good… because I can't lose you." She said, as she faced him next to her car.

His eyes searched her face in the streetlight illuminated parking lot.

Leaning up she kissed him before she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes that were still burning from crying earlier in the night.

After a few moments he raised his arms and held her tightly against him.

He was aware that Kate Argent was back in town and was the hunter who had shot him, he started to wonder what might happen if Kate found out about Avery.

She had no problem killing humans before, and he wouldn't put it past her to kill someone just to make him miserable.

He was also starting to worry what would happen if Avery found out the hunters who had set the fire that her mom died in, was because of Derek falling for Kate, and she used him to take out more werewolves.

As she slowly opened her eyes she saw Stiles watching them from the across the parking lot.

"Let's go." Derek said as he let go of her.

"I'll be right back." She said.

"Where are you going?" He asked as she started walking towards Stiles where he was leaned up against the side of his jeep.

"I just need a few minutes." She said quietly knowing he could hear her from where he was.

He got in the passenger seat of her Mustang and watched them through the windshield as she talked to Stiles.

"Did you forget something?" He asked her glancing back towards the building.

"Almost." She said.

"Stiles… I know that you like me." She said bluntly.

"Uh…" He said as he shifted uncomfortably and looked down to the ground.

"But you care a lot more about me than I thought. I know it couldn't have been easy to text me about this, and you put my feelings above yours. I honestly think that's the nicest and the most selfless thing that anyone has ever done for me." She continued.

He stayed quiet, not sure how to respond to her.

Stepping forward she hugged him.

He smiled to himself at the way it felt when he wrapped his arms around her.

Stepping back she smiled and said "Thank you."

"Yeah." He said nodding as he still smiled.

Leaning forward she kissed him on the cheek before she turned around, heading back to her car where Derek was waiting on her.

* * *

**A/N- New episode of Teen Wolf tonight! ^_^ Who else is watching? **

**I hope you all liked the update; we're still having a lot of fun working on this story together. It's quickly became one of our favorites to write. ^_^**

**We both make sets to go along with this story on our polyvore accounts, the links are posted on our profiles.**

**While you're one Miss E Charlotte's profile check out her other stories, they're so good and you won't regret it. ^_~**

**If you're still reading the story, please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know. We appreciate the support more thank you know and it means a lot to us to know there is still interest in the story.**


	16. Growl

**Growl - Chapter 16**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

After getting back home from the animal clinic with Derek, Avery sat on the window seat in front of her large bedroom window overlooking the front yard, she had her knees pulled up to her chest as she watched cars drive down her road.

She wanted so badly to call her best friend and explain what happened so she'd have someone to talk to.

But the only people she could talk to about any the werewolf related problems was Derek, Scott and Stiles.

She knew Derek had enough on his mind and she didn't exactly feel comfortable enough to talk about her feelings with Scott or Stiles.

Avery was shaken from her thoughts when she heard the water from the shower in her bathroom stop.

It was a little while later when Derek came out of her bathroom and watched her as she sat by the window.

"Feel better?" She asked her voice quiet as she looked at his reflection in the glass of the window.

He nodded as he continued to watch her.

She turned around and looked at him, he was wearing his boxers and the dark gray t-shirt she'd given back to him.

"Tomorrow I can go by your house and grab some of your things." She said.

"What?" he asked.

"You need some changes of clothes…" she reasoned.

"No, you can't go to my house." He said.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, getting the feeling he was hiding something from her again.

"You're joking right? Hunters could be watching the house; you could walk right into some kind of trap." He said, with raised eyebrows.

"But I'm human, they wouldn't hurt me… right? The code and all?" She asked, confused.

"Not all of them live by the code, it's too dangerous. It could be bad enough if they even see you with me." He said as he walked over to where she was standing.

Her eyes searched his face as he spoke.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm in some kind of danger because we're together?" She asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." He said, nodding as his eyes met hers.

She shrugged as she spoke, "I don't care."

He sighed when he heard her heart beat stay steady; she really didn't care if it put her in danger.

"Avery, I can't be worried about you all the time. I need to stay focused." He said.

"Then you stay focused and let me handle myself, I will be fine, Derek." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"There was a time I thought I was invincible too; then I lost my family." He said quietly.

She looked down to the floor for a few seconds before looking back at him, as she said "Believe me Derek, I know exactly how fragile life is; how quickly it can be taken away."

"I know." He said after a pause.

"I'm exhausted, can we just go to bed and worry about all of this tomorrow? For tonight we're safe, no one knows you're here." She said as she kissed him.

**~(Days later)~**

A couple of days later it was the weekend and Jackson was over at Teagan's house as the two sat in the living room alone watching a movie or at least they were until Teagan straddled his lap and the two started kissing. While in a heated kiss, Jackson unbuttoned the plaid shirt she was wearing and pushed it off of her shoulders, exposing the tank top she had on underneath.

He leaned forward to press his lips on her bare shoulder as he slipped his hands under the tank top, resting them flat on her back. She closed her eyes and groaned at feeling his hands and lips caress her skin. As much as she was enjoying things, she knew she had to stop it now before things went too far. Between her ever present nerves and her worry for Avery, now was not the right time.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked when she pulled away, "You said your dad won't be home for hours."

"I know. That's not why I stopped." Teagan said.

"Then why did you?" Jackson asked confused.

"Cause of Avery." Teagan answered.

"Seriously? You're thinking of Avery right now? Cause believe me she is the last thing on my mind now." Jackson said, as he leaned forward to gently nibbled on her lips.

She kissed him a few times then leaned back, "I'm just worried about her. This Derek thing hit her hard and she's barely left her house. She shows up for a few classes and then goes home for the rest of the day. She's ignoring my calls and acting very un-Avery like."

"She's better off without that asshole." Jackson said angrily, as he remembered their last encounter with Derek.

Teagan's bruises might have faded and his cut might be slowly healing, but he hasn't forgotten that day; the jerk just better hope they never crossed paths again.

"I agree completely with that, I just hate seeing her hurt." Teagan said sadly.

"She'll be ok." Jackson said, as he leaned forward to kiss on her neck, trying to get her in the mood.

Teagan bit her lip as he continued to nip at her skin until an idea hit her and she pushed his head back to say, "I got an idea."

"Does it involve us being naked? Cause if so I had the same idea." Jackson joked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him.

Teagan chuckled then said, "No not that."

"Then what?" Jackson asked.

"We should have a movie night." Teagan suggested happily. She had not had a movie night since her mom died and even though it wouldn't be the same, maybe it would be enough to cheer up Avery.

Jackson glanced behind her to look at her big screen TV that was still playing the movie they started earlier then he looked up at her and said, "We're already watching a movie."

"I know, but I just mean we can go rent a bunch of stupid, pointless movies, grab some junk food, drag Avery out of her house and we can all hang out. Maybe being around her friends will cheer her up." Teagan explained.

"I don't know. She probably just wants to be left alone." Jackson said.

"She has been left alone for days, we need to help her, babe. Please?" Teagan asked, as she puffed her bottom lip out.

"Hey, that's not fair T. You know I can't say 'no' to that." Jackson groaned, as he turned his head, trying not to look at her.

Teagan chuckled as she rested her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her as she began to pout again. Jackson laughed at the face she was making then said, "Ok, ok fine. We'll do a movie night."

Teagan clapped her hands then threw them in the air as she cheered. She could always wear Jackson down with a pout and was happy to see that had not changed.

"But afterwards, you are all mine." Jackson pointed out, as he placed a hand on the back of her neck to pull her toward him for a heated kiss.

After the kiss, Teagan jumped up from the couch and said, "Ok, I'll go grab Avery and some movies. You go grab some yummy food then we'll meet back here, ok?"

Jackson nodded his head in agreement as he stood up. He gave her a quick kiss, promising to see her soon, before the two went their separate ways.

**~()~**

Ever since the night at the animal clinic when Derek had almost died as a result of a gunshot wound with a wolfs bane laced bullet, Avery only left the house for part of the school day and then hurried straight home to spend time with Derek who had been staying with her.

Avery's dad was back to ignoring her and keeping himself buried in his job, she'd secretly been hoping that he'd offer another cellphone free family dinner.

She had blown off a chance to spend time with her friends again that day so she could rush home and see him; the more she was around him, the more he was becoming all she could think about.

It reminded her of right after Jackson and Teagan had first gotten together two years before Teagan's family had moved away.

Jackson was the only thing Teagan could talk about for months, she'd tell Avery about every kiss, every sweet thing he did for her and at the time Avery couldn't understand how Teagan could stand to be around the same person all the time and not get sick of them.

But it was starting to make sense to her now, no matter how much time she spent with Derek, it still didn't seem like enough.

She wanted to tell her best friend all about the strong feelings she was quickly developing for him, but she couldn't tell Teagan anything about Derek anymore.

There would be far too much explaining to do and without trying to convince Teagan that werewolves were real it wouldn't make any sense.

After the night at the animal clinic and learning that Kate Argent was back in town, Derek had decided he needed to distance himself some from Avery.

He already felt responsible for the deaths of his family and Avery's mom, if it took staying away from Avery to make sure she was going to be safe that's what he planned to do.

After all he had been telling Scott to stay away from Allison, that she was becoming too much of a distraction for him.

But Derek was finding it impossible to stay away from Avery, he craved being around her.

**~()~**

Derek smiled to himself at the sound of Avery's heart racing in response to the feeling of his lips on the side of her neck.

She let out a soft moan when his teeth lightly grazed over the sensitive skin before he reclaimed her mouth with his own.

She ran her fingers through his dark hair and arched her body up from the mattress towards his wanting to feel as close as possible to him.

Raising up he pulled his shirt off and dropped it on the floor beside her bed, as he leaned back over her.

She ran her hands up the firm, muscled flesh of his strong arms as he lay over her in the bed, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

His breath was ragged as he broke their kiss and looked at her, still in disbelief that he'd actually found someone who made him feel the way she did.

She smiled at him before grabbing his face and pulling him back to hers.

He ran one hand down the side of her body, until he reached the end of his t-shirt she was wearing.

Her body lightly quivered from his touch as he started to run his hand up her bare outer thigh pulling the shirt up also. Her skin felt like silk under his hands every time he touched her.

He tugged the shirt up farther to reveal the pair of dark blue underwear she was wearing along with her bare stomach.

Her body was almost shaking from her labored breathing as she raised her head and watched as he left a trail of searing hot kisses across the cool skin on her stomach.

Even the lightest touch from him sent chills over her entire body, nothing could compare to the way his flesh felt against hers.

She ran her fingers through his hair as her body arched up from the mattress when he kissed back across her stomach, causing a breathless moan to escape from her parted lips.

Avery laid her head back on the soft pillows when she felt his warm hands on her sides as he grabbed the waist band of her underwear, but before he could even start to slide them down he stopped.

Moving back up and above her he said, "Someone's coming."

"My dad? He never comes upstairs." Avery said confused.

"It's doesn't sound like your dad's footsteps." He said.

"Who is it?" she asked her breath was as sweet as candy when it touched his face, and all he wanted was to continue what they had started.

"I don't know." He said as he quickly moved off the bed and looked around.

Jumping up Avery picked Derek's shirt up off the floor and handed it to him as she pushed him towards the closet.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked as he stood in her large closet and looked at her.

"I'm sorry." She said as she kissed him and then slammed the doors shut just as her bedroom door started to open.

She sprinted across her room and jumped onto her bed.

"Hey A." Teagan said as she walked into the room and looked at her best friend.

"T, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Oh my god… you're still crying about him?" Teagan asked with a concerned look.

"What?" Avery asked confused.

"Your face is all red." Teagan pointed out.

Lowering her head and harshly rubbing her eyes in hopes to turn them red she said, "I… didn't want anyone to know."

Teagan sat down on the bed across from her friend as she opened her mouth to say something but stopped when she realized Avery was wearing one of Derek's shirts.

"I thought you said you were going to throw that shirt away." Teagan said.

"I… couldn't bring myself to do it." She lied.

She hated lying to her best friend, but she couldn't tell anyone about Derek. No one would understand and if people knew he was staying at her house it could be dangerous for them all.

"I don't think I ever told you this, but I kept one of Jackson's shirts when I moved away and I used it as a pillow case for a while. I just missed him so bad, and I could fall asleep with the scent of his cologne and I just felt close to him again." Teagan admitted to her.

"No… you never told me that." Avery said with a slightly pained expression as she tried to imagine having to move away from Derek.

"But it also makes sense and you guys dated for 2 years." Avery reasoned.

"It doesn't matter how long you're with somebody, love is love." Teagan said softly.

Avery's light brown eyes widened.

"Excuse me?" She gasped as she glanced over to her closet and wished she'd just told him to go out the window.

"It's okay to admit it that you were starting to really fall for him, he was making you feel things you'd never experienced before and the guy broke your heart. It's his loss." Teagan continued.

"I think we shouldn't talk about this right now." Avery said staring at her.

"Right, no sense on dwelling in the past; he was a complete ass to you anyways." Teagan said through gritted teeth, outraged that the first guy Avery had really had feelings for had used her just like all the others.

"Can we talk about something else?" She asked as Derek was still hiding in her closet.

"Jackson and I are going to cheer you up. We're going to rent some movies, and he went to get food for all of us." Teagan exclaimed as she started for the closet.

"What are you doing?" Avery asked wide eyed as she rushed to her friends side.

"Finding you something to wear other than some jerk's t-shirt." Teagan explained.

"No!" Avery snapped as Teagan started to open the closet door.

Teagan looked over at her wide eyed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to snap at you. But if you're going to make me tag along and be a 3rd wheel then I'm at least wearing what I want to." Avery said.

"Can you at least put some pants on?" Teagan joked.

"I'm wearing underwear, the shirts long enough right?" Avery joked back.

"A." Teagan said as she shook her head back and forth.

"Anyways, Jackson and I think we may be able to help you with the 3rd wheel thing. He knows a few guys on the team who aren't womanizers. He's going to talk to a few of them, we could double date." Teagan offered with a hopeful smile.

"I don't think so, I don't want to date anyone." Avery said, hoping Derek was keeping his anger in check.

"Avery, I know it's hard to get out there again and I'm not trying to push you into anything. But you are an amazing person and you deserve more than just being a piece of ass for stupid Derek Hale." Teagan said still mad that he had broken her friends heart.

"Teagan can you please grab a pair of shoes?" Avery asked as she pointed to the corner of her room with a pile of shoes.

Teagan nodded and Avery breathed a sigh of relief when she stopped talking and moved away from the closet.

"Jackson's already talked to a few of the guys on the team… there's this one guy, Damien who I think you'd really like and Jackson said he's been into you for years." Teagan said as she surveyed the mis-matched shoe pile.

A low growl sounded from Avery's closet.

"What the hell was that?" Teagan asked as she stood up and looked around.

"What?" Avery asked, trying to act like she hadn't heard Derek growling.

"I just heard a growl." Teagan said as she continued to look around the room, she could have sworn it sounded like there was a growl in the room with them.

"Oh that, it's not a big deal I think one of my neighbors got a new dog or something. I'm just going to grab a pair of jeans and we'll get going." Avery said as she walked over to her closet.

Teagan tried to shrug it off, she knew Avery didn't have a dog so maybe it was a neighbors pet.

Once Teagan turned her head Avery opened the closet door enough to stick her arm inside and Derek pulled a pair of her jeans off the hanger and put them in her hand.

She pulled her arm out and quickly shut the door as she pulled her pants on.

"Here we go." Teagan said as she pulled up a pair of Avery's old black converse sneakers.

"I'm sorry." Avery said quietly as she looked back at her closet door.

As Teagan grabbed pair of socks out of her friends dresser for her she said, "If you promise me that you'll at least sit with Damien at lunch this week and try to get to know him, I'll leave you alone."

Teagan knew if Avery got back out there and started meeting more people she'd start to come out of the Derek-induced depression she'd been stuck in.

"I promise I'll sit with Damien this week and I'll consider the double date if you never bring this up again." Avery said just trying to get Teagan to be quiet.

Again Derek growled from her closet.

Teagan jumped and looked around confused.

"So, I get to pick the movies right?" Avery asked excitedly as she sat down on the side of her bed and pulled her socks and shoes on trying to hurry and get out of there.

Happy at seeing Avery smile, Teagan forgot about the strange growling noise and said, "Yeah! Let's go."

As she followed her best friend out of the room, Avery shot a look of longing back to her closet before pulling the door to her room shut behind her.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for reading, hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter.**

**What are you thinking of season 3 so far? ^_^**

**On Miss E Charlotte's profile are links to her polyvore and tumblr accounts where she's going to start posting sneak peaks for up coming chapter. While you're there don't forget to check out her other stories too! ^_^**

**Also, up on my profile is the link to my polyvore account and I have another Teen Wolf story too.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having a blast writing this and your kind words and support mean so much.**


	17. I Wanna See Your Animal Side

**I Wanna See Your Animal Side - Chapter 17**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

"So… what movies are you thinking?" Teagan asked as they walked around the video store.

"Umm, we could have a Halloween movie marathon." Avery said as she eyed the wall of horror movies.

"Or we could watch something a little less scary." Teagan said as she wandered over to a wall of a new releases.

"What happened to me picking the movies?" Avery questioned as she followed her.

"You know I don't really like scary movies." Teagan said as she read the back of a romantic comedy.

"And scary movies won't help you get over Derek, they will only remind you of him." Teagan said, her voice harsher than she meant it to be.

She was still pissed at Derek for hurting Avery, herself and Jackson.

Avery bit down hard on the side of her cheek, she wanted to tell Teagan why he'd been so mean to her that night and how things were really good with him now.

The girls gathered a few movies and went to the counter to check out.

"Hello?" Avery yelled irritation in her voice from people not doing their job and not being where they were supposed to be.

"Be nice, A… maybe they're busy in the back or something." Teagan said as she nudged her friends arm.

"Busy with what? Previewing the latest pornos?" Avery said, loudly.

"Shh!" Teagan hissed her eyes wide.

"Well… this is bull." Avery sighed as she walked behind the counter.

"What the hell are you doing? Get out from behind there!" Teagan said as she watched Avery use the machine to remove the security holders from the D.V.D rental cases.

"They've got 2 minutes to get out here, or I'm leaving with these movies." Avery said as she stacked the cases and walked around to the front of the counter.

"And get arrested for stealing?" Teagan called over her shoulder as she started to make her way through the video store.

"Excuse me?" Teagan called loudly but with a polite tone.

As Teagan looked down an isle she gasped loudly in horror at the sight of a man's body on the floor covered in blood.

"T!" Avery exclaimed as she ran towards her.

Teagan shakily walked backwards away from the corpse.

"I'm… I'm calling 911." Teagan said as she pulled her phone from her pocket and shakily tried to hit the right buttons.

Avery walked closer to the body being careful not to step in any of the blood.

"A! Stop it!" Teagan yelled at her as some tears started to run down her cheeks.

Avery swallowed hard and leaned down to get a better look, her heart sank when she saw the man literally had his throat ripped out.

"T… forget the freaking cops we have to go now." Avery yelled panicked.

Teagan stumbled and lost her balance knocking down a ladder that was placed under an open light fixture.

An exposed wire from the ceiling got caught on the ladder and was pulled from the ceiling, causing an electrical short in the entire store's circuit.

"Oh my god." Teagan said her voice hoarse as the whole store went dark before a few lights dimly started to flicker.

Avery thought for a second that it looked like a scene from a horror movie.

Teagan grabbed Avery's arm and started to pull her to the front door.

Hearing the door chime Avery looked up to see a pair of red eyes glowing at her.

She grabbed Teagan's arm and jerked her backwards.

Teagan almost screamed when she looked up and saw the large being; it was covered fur like a wolf but stood up on 2 legs like a human.

Avery pushed her behind a shelf of movies and ducked down with her.

It was the alpha werewolf, Scott had told her about what it looked like when he'd gotten bit.

"What is that?" Teagan whispered as tears fell down her cheeks.

Avery covered her friends mouth and shook her head back and forth.

Hearing a loud crash they saw the far row of shelves toppling over and taking the next shelf out like dominoes.

Avery looked at the back exit door; it had a chain through the handle. They only way out would be the front of the store.

Hearing more loud bangs they knew the row of movie shelves they were crouched down behind was also toppling over.

Avery raised her head and looked around, she didn't see the alpha anymore and her eyes stopped on the front door.

She nodded for her best friend to follow her as she jumped up and started to race to door with Teagan's hand in her own.

The girls came to an abrupt stop when a shelf was thrown down right in front of them, blocking their path.

Teagan was a few steps behind Avery.

Both girls started to panic even more when the alpha raised up from behind one of the still standing shelves and started to walk towards them.

"Oh my god, we have to go." Teagan sobbed desperately pulling on her friends arm.

Avery backed up some with her friend but looked around the store, there was no way to get out and they'd never make it past the alpha.

They gasped and squeezed each other's hands tighter as the monster slowly stepped towards them, the shelf broke under his feet as he moved closer.

"Oh my god… we're going to die…" Teagan cried as she hugged Avery's arm against her.

"Yeah… we are." Avery barely squeaked out as tears now poured down her own cheeks.

They took a few steps back again, but before the alpha could get any closer they heard a loud shatter of glass and looked over to see Derek jump through one of the large windows.

For a moment Teagan wondered if maybe Derek had something to do with what was going on, until he jumped between the alpha and the girls.

Derek let out a deep growl as he faced the alpha and leaned down slightly, ready to spring forward and attack if he needed to.

The alpha jumped through another window and left the store.

Teagan gasped as Derek turned around to face them.

His face looked completely different, he didn't look human anymore. His eyes were glowing blue and he had large canine fangs showing as he breathed heavily through his open mouth.

Avery pulled her arm from Teagan's grip and slowly walked up to him. She had seen his glowing eyes and fangs before, but she had never seen his face when he shifted.

As she got closer he turned his head for a few moments taking a deep breath while he shifted back to human.

Teagan couldn't believe her eyes as he turned and looked at them, his face looked completely normal.

"Are you okay?" He asked Avery as she now stood in front of him.

"I… don't think so." She admitted, her wide eyes meeting his.

He stepped forward and took her face in his hands, wiping her tear stained cheeks with his thumbs before he pulled her against him.

Her body shook in his arms and she clutched onto his leather jacket.

"It's true? Werewolves are real?" Teagan managed to say as she stared at Avery who didn't seem the least bit scared standing in one's arms.

"Oh my god…" Teagan breathed out as she put a hand over her stomach, feeling sick.

Derek looked at Teagan as she stared at them. The last thing he needed was more people knowing his secret, especially ones who seemed to hate him like Teagan did.

But there was no way he was going to let anything kill Avery.

"I hear sirens." Derek said quietly as he let go of Avery and tried to step back, but she was clutching onto his jacket so tight her fingers we're white and cold.

"It's okay… it's gone." Derek said as he slid his hands down her shaking arms and started to pull her hands off of his coat.

"It… it was going to kill us." Teagan continued to realize everything out loud as the adrenaline rush started to fade.

"You're one of them?" Teagan gasped still letting everything sink in as she looked at Derek.

She blinked her eyes several times trying to get the image of his werewolf face out of her head, but she knew she'd never forget it.

Once Derek pried her ice cold fingers off of his jacket he looked around the store and said, "The cops will be here soon."

"It's fine… I won't tell them you were here." Avery said her voice shaky and hoarse.

He nodded and started towards the door.

"You'll stay close right?" She asked her eye still wide with terror.

He nodded again and looked at her one last time before he left.

"Avery…" Teagan said as her body shook from crying.

"We can't tell the cops about Derek being here, he doesn't need any more trouble with the law, okay?" Avery said walking up to her as she hugged her best friend.

"He's a werewolf…" Teagan managed to repeat.

"And he saved our lives… when they ask us what we saw… we have to tell them it was a mountain lion." Avery explained.

Teagan pulled free of Avery's grip and said, "How could you not tell me this?" A feeling of betrayal rising inside her.

"I tried to tell you about Scott and you thought I was crazy." Avery reminded her.

"You only tried once… you've known this whole time and you still never told me anymore about it. How could you keep something like this from me?" Teagan asked still in a state of paranoia induced panic.

"You wouldn't have believed me." Avery argued back.

"You… you said you'd never put me in danger." Teagan said angrily wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Teagan…" Avery started to say but she cut her off.

"Did that thing follow you here?" Teagan shouted cutting her off.

"You think this was my fault?" Avery asked shocked at her accusation.

"I think that you can't date a werewolf without putting your life and your friends in danger." Teagan said, she knew the words leaving her mouth weren't making any sense.

But she was feeling so many things at once that she didn't really know how to feel about any of it.

"You're not making sense." Avery said taking a step towards her.

Teagan backed up as she shouted, "You think I don't know that?"

The parking lot started to fill with police cars and other curios bystanders who were gathering around the video store.

"Teagan… you can't tell anyone. Not a soul, not even Jackson. You have to keep saying it was a mountain lion that attacked you. You'll put Derek in danger if you tell anyone." She pleaded with her best friend.

"He's… he's not even human." Teagan stuttered, not understanding how Avery seemed to have no problems with what he was.

"And it puts me in danger, T." Avery pointed out.

Teagan took a deep shaky breath and nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest and quickly brushed past her friend out of the store as a few police officers were coming inside to secure the scene.

The police took Avery and Teagan over to the ambulance where the E. began to check them out, even though both girls insisted they weren't physically injured.

Avery glanced around trying to see if she could see Derek in the shadows anywhere.

She looked up to see him on top of the building and smiled to herself that he really hadn't taken off and left her there.

"Thank you for staying." She whispered, knowing he could hear her from where he was.

"Teagan!" They heard Jackson yell as he got out of his car and headed towards the ambulance.

He was swinging by the video store after he got the food on his way to Teagan's to see if the girls were still there.

"Sir, we need you to back up." One of the police officers on the scene said to him as they stood in front of him.

"Jackson!" Teagan yelled as she jumped up from where she'd been sitting and ran to him.

Avery was happy Jackson was there for her best friend, because she knew how badly Teagan was scared; they had both come so close to dying that night.

She hoped that with time, Teagan would realize the attack wasn't her fault and start to accept her relationship with Derek.

As she continued to watch Jackson holding and comforting Teagan she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Her boyfriend had to watch them from the top of the building, while she sat on the back of the ambulance by herself.

"What happened." Jackson asked as he held Teagan close to him and she cried against his shirt.

"We got attacked…" Teagan finally was able to say.

"Did they catch the guy? Because they better arrest him before I get my hands on him." Jackson said his jaw tense with anger as he spoke.

He thought that it was some kind of robbery at the video store.

"It wasn't a person, well not really." Teagan mumbled without even thinking.

"what?" Jackson asked confused.

"It was a mountain lion… busted right in through the windows. It killed the guy who was working." Teagan said as she glanced over to where Avery was sitting with her arms wrapped around herself.

She couldn't believe Derek saved them, she was glad he showed up but she was shocked. Teagan thought back to what Derek had told her about him not being the bad guy she thought he was.

"Oh my god…" Teagan breathed out, her voice muffled by Jackson's shirt as she realized that's how Jackson had the claw mark puncture wounds on the back of his neck.

"What?" Jackson asked as he rubbed her back.

After giving her statement of what happened, they agreed to let Teagan leave with Jackson.

Avery walked over to where Jackson was leading Teagan to his Porsche.

He lovingly helped her get into the passenger seat.

"Are you okay to drive yourself, or do you want a ride?" He asked as he turned and looked at Avery, with her mascara tear stained cheeks.

"She's okay to drive herself." Teagan said, before she pinned her eyes shut and shook her head in disbelief at herself.

Avery was her best friend and always had been, but at the moment Teagan couldn't really stand to be around her.

"Teagan…" Jackson breathed out in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I…" Teagan's voice trailed off as she looked up to where her friend was standing by the car and she saw Derek on top of the building.

"I just want to go home." Teagan said as she pulled the door shut.

"It's fine, thanks for the offer but just get her home." Avery said, trying not to let the tears burning her eyes fall down her cheeks.

"What the hell happened in there?" Jackson asked Avery.

"Too much." Avery said as she turned around and walked away leaving a very confused Jackson standing by his car.

As Avery started back for the ambulance the Sherriff pulled up and stiles jumped out of the passenger seat of his dad's car.

"Avery…" He said as she sat down on the edge of the back of the ambulance again.

"Hey…" She said as she looked up at him.

"What the hell happened?" He asked her.

Avery waited till the EMT's were out of earshot and said, "The alpha."

Stiles' eyes widened, "Are you okay?"

"I almost died." She said looking up at him.

"Yeah, stupid question…" He breathed out.

"I just want to get the hell out of here… did your dad say when I can go?" She asked.

They hadn't let her leave yet because she'd driven herself there and they wanted to make sure she was okay before she got behind the wheel.

"In a little bit I think." Stiles said, as he noticed she was wearing one of Derek's shirts.

"Who were you here with?" He asked glancing around them.

"Teagan, but she left with Jackson." Avery explained.

"Wait, Teagan saw the alpha?" Stiles asked.

Avery nodded.

He was silent for a few minutes before he said, "Do you want to go somewhere, or get something to eat?"

Avery looked up at him, "Are you kidding me? You wait until I'm with Derek and almost got killed before you got the balls to ask me out?"

Stiles' eyes widened.

"No, I, uh… I didn't mean on a date. I just thought maybe you needed a friend and didn't want to be alone after what happened." Stiles said.

Avery looked at him.

"Oh… well, I thought you'd finally grown some balls." Avery said with a small laugh.

"Anyways, I'm not alone." She said.

He looked over to where her car was parked but didn't see anyone else.

"Look up." She whispered.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Up, Stiles. Look up." She said.

He slowly raised his head and looked up, he saw Derek and said "Oh…"

"He's the one who saved me and Teagan from the alpha." Avery said softly.

Stiles nodded and looked back up to where Derek was watching the two of them intently.

"Avery, if you're feeling up to it they said you can go." Sherriff Stilinski said as he walked over to her.

"Thank you." She said with a nod as she stood up.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" He asked.

"It's just my dad and it won't really matter if you call him or not." She said before saying goodbye to Stiles and walking over to her car.

**~()~**

Teagan sat on the end of her bed and took a deep breath.

She still couldn't believe what just happened. She and Avery were attacked, attacked by a huge wolf with bright red eyes.

No telling what could have happened to both girls, they could have been killed like the video store employee if it had not been for Derek; a werewolf looking Derek.

She closed her eyes and gasped when she saw the whole scene in her head again. Derek appearing with bright blue eyes and his canines bearing as he growled at the other animal.

She didn't think she would ever get that image out of her head.

When she felt someone sit down beside her she snapped her eyes open in fear then relaxed when she saw it was only Jackson. He handed her two aspirins and a bottle of water for her pounding headache.  
She placed the pills in her mouth and glanced over at the bedside table she took a sip from the bottle. Her eyes landed on the picture of her and her mom and she felt tears in her eyes.

Her mom died from an animal attack and the same thing could have happened to her and Avery tonight. Or was it an animal attack?

She softly gasped when she realized that maybe it wasn't an animal after all. The official report was a big animal, but only because of the many scratch marks and animal fur that was left behind.

The police were always stumped on what kind of animal would attack and kill someone in the area they had lived in at the time. There were a few clues that suggested it could have been human but with no definite proof they had to go with animal. In a strange way a werewolf would make sense.

She felt a cold chill down her spine as she realized that not only were werewolves real but Avery was dating one and saw nothing wrong with it. It was like she didn't even know who her best friend was anymore.

As everything hit her at once she couldn't stop the tears that rained down her face. She felt Jackson wrap an arm around her and pull her towards him as she began to cry harder.

"Shh, you're ok. It's all ok now." Jackson mumbled as he held her tight against him which was just as much comfort for him as it was for her. He had never been as terrified as he was earlier when he pulled into the video store parking lot to see police cars and ambulances crowded around the building.

He felt his heart drop when he saw her sitting on the back of an ambulance as they checked her over. That was something he never wanted to experience again.

He continued to hold her against him until she was all cried out. When he heard her sniffle, he glanced down to look at the top of her head then whispered, "Hey, look at me."

Teagan wiped at her face then glanced up to look at him. She thought she was done crying, but when she looked into his eyes she felt more tears materialize.

Just looking at him reminded her of how close she'd almost come to losing it all. She would have never got to hug her dad or cuddle with Aspen or kiss Jackson ever again. Then she couldn't help but wonder if this is what her mom went through in her last moments.

Was she hopeful that she would be saved or did she know she was going to die and never get to see her husband and daughter again?

Jackson placed his hands on either side of her face before leaning down and softly kissing her lips. After a sweet and short kiss, he rested his lips against her, just needing to feel her lips against his for a moment.

"I love you." She whispered, their lips still barely touching.

"I love you too." He whispered back, before pressing his lips against hers again.

After the kiss he finally pulled back to look at her, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Other than knowing there was a wild animal in the building that killed one employee and attacked Teagan and Avery he really didn't know many details. At the moment all he wanted to know was if she was ok and figured he would find out the rest later.

Teagan shook her head, "No, I don't... I can't talk about it."

"Ok. We won't talk about it." Jackson said, not wanting to push her. He gave her a small kiss then pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "Is there anything you need?"

"I just want to lay down." Teagan said softly, feeling numb all over.

"Ok, we can do that." Jackson said, as he stood up from the bed.

He reached down to grab her hands and pulled her up to her feet to stand before him. He kept an arm wrapped around her, letting her lean against him as he pulled the covers on her bed down then helped her lay down.  
As soon as she laid down, Aspen jumped on the bed and laid down beside her. Jackson watched as she cuddled up to the dog and took a deep breath. She looked up at Jackson then added quietly, "And I think I want to be alone."

Jackson shook his head as he sat down on the edge of her bed before saying, "No way. I'm not leaving you alone."

"I'm not alone. I have Aspen." Teagan said, as she hugged the dog, then added, "Plus dad is right downstairs."

Jackson stroked her cheek and watched as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He was honestly scared to leave.

The last time they went their separate ways things didn't turn out so well. He realized in this moment that he needed her more than she needed him. But he had to respect her wishes didn't he?

"I love you Jackson, I do and I'm not trying to push you away or anything, I just need some time alone." Teagan explained. She had so much running through her mind and knew if he stayed she would blurt it all out and he would think she had gone crazy.

Jackson finally nodded his head giving in, but said, "Ok, but tomorrow I'll be back and you won't be able to get rid of me so easily."

"Deal." Teagan said with a small smile.  
He gave her a quick kiss, told Aspen to take good care of his girl, then left the bedroom. Once alone, she closed her eyes, just wanting to put everything from her mind and sleep.

* * *

**A/N- ****I hope you all liked the update; we're still having a lot of fun working on this story together. ^_^**

**We both make sets to go along with this story on our polyvore accounts, the links are posted on our profiles.**

**If you're still reading the story, please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know. We appreciate the support so much, and it means a lot to us to know there is still interest in the story.**


	18. Playground Memories

**Playground Memories - Chapter 18**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Teagan didn't know how long she had been sleeping until she snapped her eyes open with a gasp. The little sleep she did get was restless as she had nightmare after nightmare.

She watched the time on her alarm clock tick away until the wee hours when she finally sighed and tossed the comforter off of her before standing up from her bed, giving up on getting any actual peaceful sleep.

She glanced around her empty room and kind of wished she hadn't sent Jackson away. She wrapped her arms around herself and felt like talking to someone, but who?

Jackson would think she was crazy, as would her dad. Avery was definitely out of the question. Aspen was a good listener but wasn't very good with the advice. She knew who gave the best advice, her mom.

With that thought in mind, she walked over to her desk and grabbed her car keys. Aspen raised his head when he heard the noise until she told him everything was ok and to go back to sleep, which he did.

She slipped on a pair of running shoes then made her way out of her room and into the hallway. She snuck past her dad's closed bedroom door knowing it meant he was fast asleep. She knew he slept heavy and would never hear her leave, plus it wasn't like she would be gone for long.

She just needed to visit her mom then maybe she could get everything off of her mind and finally get some sleep.

Many minutes later, she pulled her car into the empty parking lot by the dark cemetery. She grabbed a flash light from the glove box then made her way towards her mother's grave.

After walking through the creepy cemetery for a few minutes she paused when she heard a rustling noise nearby. For a moment she was starting to regret coming here so late alone. After the attack earlier and finding out about werewolves, this was definitely not one of her brightest ideas.

When she heard another noise coming from behind her, she quickly spun around and gasped when she saw someone standing behind her. She raised her flashlight, prepared to strike whoever it was until she heard them speak.

"Whoa, Teagan, it's me Isaac." He called out, as he raised his hands to block her attack just in case she didn't hear him.

"Isaac?" She asked confused as she shined the light in his face then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was actually him.

"God, you scared me." Teagan said as she placed a hand over her heart, "What are you doing here?"

"I work here." Isaac answered as he shot her a look, worried that she was confused and disoriented at the moment.

"Right, sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." Teagan said, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. Of course she knew he worked there, so why did she ask such a stupid question?

"Is everything ok?" Isaac asked with a worried look still on his face.

"Yeah.." She said on instinct, then added as tears filled her eyes, "Actually no. No everything is not ok."

Isaac reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of tissues then handed them to her. She sniffed and shot him a small smile of thanks as she pulled out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.

"I uh, I heard about the attack on you and Avery tonight." Isaac said, "I'm glad to see you're ok."

"I'm not so sure I am ok." Teagan said softly, "But thank you Isaac."

"If something like that happened to me I would want to be as close to my brother as possible." Isaac said as he glanced over at where his brother was buried.

Teagan softly smiled, glad to see that someone understood why she was there.

She was starting to think she was stupid for wanting to run to her mom, but knowing he would do the same made her feel better.

"At least that's what I'm assuming you are here for." Isaac added, as he turned back to look at her.

"Yeah that's why I'm here. I just wanted... I needed to be close to her." Teagan said back.

Isaac nodded his head in understanding then turned to walk away to give her privacy until she spoke up and called out his name, he turned to look at her.

"Can you uh; will you sit with me?" She asked quietly. She didn't know why, but she just wanted him with her. He always seemed to understand what she was thinking and feeling and she needed that right now.

Someone to understand.

"I-I don't know. I should really...I got work to do." Isaac stuttered. It wasn't that he didn't want to sit with her, he just feared it would get back to Jackson somehow and he would get on his case again.

"Right, sorry, I shouldn't have even asked. I mean, that's the type of thing you do for a friend." Teagan said a little harsher than she meant.

It wasn't that she was trying to be rude; she was just tired of the back and forth with him. Were they friends or weren't they? She honestly didn't know where she stood with him.  
Isaac stuttered a few times, unsure what to say back. He wanted nothing more than to be her friend, but he wasn't part of her crowd.

Her people didn't want him around her; Jackson and his buddies had made that point to him plenty of times.

Teagan sighed when she saw the look on his face and felt guilty for her comment. She quickly apologized to him, "I shouldn't have said that. I'm not thinking right tonight and I feel so stupid for even saying this but I-I thought we were friends Isaac."

"Y-you thought we were friends?" Isaac asked surprised.

"Yeah I did, but I can see now that I was mistaken and I feel incredibly embarrassed. Can we just pretend this conversation never happened?" Teagan asked, then before he could answer she continued, "Between the trauma tonight and lack of sleep, I'm just talking crazy. So just forget all of this. Please."

When Isaac didn't say anything, she pointed behind her toward where her mom was buried then added, "Ok, I'm going to go this way. You go back to work, but remember this never happened. Ok? Ok, great... see you Isaac."

After a small wave to him, she turned around to walk away but before she could take a step he reached out to grab her arm, taking her by surprise, as he called out, "Wait."

Teagan turned back around to look at him as she waited for him to speak. She thought he was never going to explain why he stopped her until he finally opened his mouth and said, "I didn't know that you saw me as a friend."

She gave him a sad smile, it made her sad to see him so surprised that someone would want to be his friend. Did he really think that badly about himself?

"You've been there for me, more than once since I've gotten back in town. You've been there when I needed someone, that's a friend Isaac and that's something that I would never forget." She said softly, as she reached out to hold his hand and gave it a small friendly squeeze.

"I can um, I can take a small break." Isaac offered, letting her know that he could go sit with her if she still needed a friend.

She smiled at him, thanking him then turned around to walk towards her mom's tombstone. Her hand still holding his as the two walked across the cemetery together in a comfortable silence.

**~()~**

Avery walked up to her front door to go inside, Derek headed around the side of her house to get up through her bedroom window.

"Avery." Richard said as she walked in the door.

"Hey dad." She said.

"The Sherriff called, he said you were in a video store when a mountain lion broke in there?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said nodding.

"Are you okay?" He asked looking her over.

"I'm fine." She said.

"You almost died, how are you fine?" He asked.

"I lived… that's how." She responded.

Derek stood at the top of the stairs, where he was standing he could see Avery and her dad but they couldn't see him.

"Damn it, Avery." Richard said as he shook his head back and forth.

"Damn it, what dad?" she asked irritated.

"If you're not okay, I need you to tell me." He said.

"Can we not do this right now?" Avery sighed.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Play house, act like a family." Avery explained with an arched eyebrow.

"We are a family." He stated.

"Dad, why are you wearing your coat?" She asked.

"The alarm was tripped at the bank and I need to go in." He admitted.

"I was seconds away from getting ripped to shreds tonight, do you understand that?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Of course I do. I got the call about the bank going on 40 minutes ago… but I waited until you were home." He said, sounding a little proud of himself.

"But you're still leaving…" She said sadness apparent in her voice.

"When I come back we can talk about this." He offered as he walked past her.

"I'll probably be asleep, I just want some time alone." She said softly.

Leaning down he kissed her on top of her head.

"If it's absolutely necessary I can call someone else in to take care of it, but I really should go… I'm the owner." He explained.

She took a deep breath and looked down at the floor before looking back up to him.

Derek watched as she smiled and said, "No, it's okay. I understand the bank is important to you… go ahead."

Once her dad was gone she started up the stairs and she and Derek went back into her room.

"Can you believe that?" She muttered as she kicked her shoes off and sat down in her computer chair.

Derek stood quietly and watched her, not sure how he was going to tell her what he needed to say.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm not alone, you're here." She said with a small smile.

"I have to leave for a while." He said.

"What?" She asked as she stood up and walked over to him.

"With Scott's help I think I can find the alpha, since he was turned by it… he has a sort of connection. I need his help to find the alpha." Derek admitted.

"And this has to happen right now? Not even an hour after you saved me?" she asked.

"I'm sorry." He said, his apology was sincere as he looked at her.

"Can you please just stay?" She asked. The words almost felt alien as they left her mouth.

She was always telling people she needed time alone, not pleading for them to stay.

"The sooner we find the alpha and kill it… the better." Derek tried to reason with her.

Avery's jaw tensed in anger. It hurt worse that he was saying he was leaving than when her dad left.

"I almost died!" She yelled.

"I know that…" He said back, his voice raised to meet hers.

Cutting him off she said, "Then why won't you just stay with me?"

"I want to, but this…" he started to say but she cut him off again.

"Is important?" She breathed out, hating those words.

"I need you to understand how much danger this town and you are in until we take care of this." Derek said.

She turned around from him for a few minutes and swallowed hard as she choked back tears.

"Avery…" Derek started to say as he took a few steps towards her.

Turning around she faced him as she smiled, "It's fine. You're right this is important… just go."

He cocked his head to the side as he watched her.

"I'll be back…" He started to say but again she wouldn't let him talk.

"It's alright, I'm fine… everything is fine." She said.

"I can hear your heart." He stated with a sigh.

"Doesn't really matter. You're going to leave anyways, so just go…" She said as she sat back down in her computer chair and took her phone out of her pocket hoping to have a text or call from Teagan.

"I'm coming back." He said as he stood in the doorway of her room.

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his as she said, "Be safe, so you can come back."

Once he was gone she looked around her room trying to decide what to do. Her eyes stopped on a basket of clean clothes that needed to be folded and put away in her dresser.

She walked around her room straightening things up and trying to keep in control of her emotions.

She couldn't believe that she had been attacked and seconds away from being killed and both her dad and Derek leave her to be home by herself.

There was no point in calling Teagan, though she felt like she didn't have anyone else.

Avery rubbed her temples as her head was pounding; her breathing grew shallow as looked around her clean room.

Before she was even sure what happened she swiped her arm across the top of her dresser knocking everything off of it on to the floor with a crash.

She still felt like she couldn't get her breath.

Looking over at her desk she saw a picture of her and Teagan, she picked it up and threw it across the room. The frame busted on impact with the wall and tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Soon her computer and desk lamp were on the floor, she threw the lamp off her bedside table across the room, but it missed the wall and broke the small window that faced out the side of the house.

It was a little while later she stood in the middle of her now destroyed room, still breathing heavily as she looked at all the damage she'd caused.

Walking over to her window she looked out the broken glass and saw the busted lamp laying on the ground at the side of the house.

Walking into the bathroom she stared at herself in the mirror, her cheeks were lined with black streaks from her mascara running from crying earlier.

Wetting a wash cloth she washed her face off and re-applied all of her make up before brushing her hair and trying to take a deep breath.

She continued to stare at her reflection, smiled widely at herself and thought that if she didn't know the storm brewing under the surface she could have fooled herself into thinking she was okay.

Feeling sick to her stomach she held onto the sides of her dark blue porcelain sink and tried to catch her breath, but it still felt like the walls were closing in on her.

Rising up she swallowed hard as she looked at herself in the mirror; hit by a sudden burst of rage she punched the mirror as hard as she could.

Her light brown eyes widened as the broken glass shards rained off the wall and fell in her sink and on the tile floor.

Looking down at her hand she saw she was bleeding from her knuckles.

She winced when she open her hand and made a fist a few times as every movement hurt.

Quickly she raced down the stairs, leaving her phone and purse behind.

Walking a few streets over from her house and cutting through a field, she found the small park on the edge of a wooded area.

The park was almost equal distance between her house and the house that Teagan had grown up in. When they were younger, they'd always sneak out to meet each other at the park to talk about everything under the sun.

Hardly anyone every came to the small park and the playground equipment looked like it hadn't been update in a really long time.

After her mom died, Avery would go to the park to try and clear her head. It was easier to be out of the house, than be home with her dad but feel like they were a million miles away from each other.

Even after Teagan had moved away, she'd still go the park when something was bothering her.

Climbing up the stairs of the slide, she ignored the spider webs and sat down facing away from the slide.

Slowly she leaned backwards so that her top half was laying back on the cold metal of the slide angled downwards. She kept her knees bent and her feet down on the stairs so that she wouldn't accidently slide down head first.

She stared up at the night sky, as her eyes traced the outline of the moon and clusters of stars she finally was able to take a deep breath.

She took a few more breaths; breathing in deeply and holding the air in until her lungs hurt before she'd exhale.

It was close to 2 hours later, and her head was hurting from the blood rush as she stayed with the top half of her body angled down on the slide.

Hearing footsteps she raised her head and looked from side to over the raised edges of the slide, but didn't see anything.

Laying her head back on the cold hard metal she saw Derek standing at the end of the slide looking at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"I think I should be asking you that, it looks like a tornado went through your room." He said, his voice a little gruff.

"It kind of did." She said quietly.

"How did you even find me?" She asked, not moving.

"I tracked your scent." He admitted.

"Why?" she asked, her voice flat.

"I went back to your house and saw your room." He accidently snapped, he'd been worried about her.

"Do you know what I was doing when Stiles texted me about you being hurt that night?" She asked still looking at him upside down.

"No." He said not understanding why she was bringing it up.

"I was heading out the door with my dad for dinner, a cellphone free dinner because he decided to finally take an interest in what was going on with me. He hasn't sat down for a meal with me since the year my mom died." She explained.

"I didn't text you to come there." He reminded her.

"I know and half way to the animal clinic I thought; _if he's really hurt and wants me there, why didn't he call or text me himself?_" She said with a dry laugh.

"And then once I got to the clinic I thought; _this jackass just shoved me against a wall and yelled at me, what am I doing here?" _She continued telling him.

"But then I saw you stumble out of Stiles' jeep and I saw how bad you looked and all I could think was I had to do something to help you. And just like that, nothing else mattered." She explained.

He opened his mouth to say something but she stopped him as she said, "You're important to me, Derek."

"You don't think you're important to me?" He asked her.

"I think we have two different definitions of important." She admitted.

"You are important to me, Avery." He said.

"But not as important as everything else." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left." He told her.

"It doesn't matter." She said as she stared back up at the sky.

"I think that it does; I think a lot of things matter to you more than you let on." He said as he watched her.

"Yeah, well maybe thinking isn't your strong suit." She muttered.

"I shouldn't have left you alone after the video store." He finally said.

"It's fine." She said, brushing his apology off.

"Stop doing that, stop saying that everything is fine." He told her.

Rolling her eyes she quickly sat up and blinked her eyes as everything was spinning from laying so long with the blood rushing to her head.

"I'm here because I care about you, Avery. So stop lying, stop pushing me away." He said as he walked around the side of the slide and looked at her as she sat up.

Her surroundings were still spinning but she tried to go down the stairs and fell, but Derek quickly caught her.

Sliding out of his arms she stepped back and rubbed her forehead wishing she hadn't laid upside down on the slide for so long.

"I'm not pushing you away… I tried to hold onto you for dear life, but you just left." She said.

Tears started to well up in her eyes as she replayed the nights events in her head.

"I should have listened." He said as he watched her.

"It's not a big deal." She said, her voice hoarse as a few tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Turning around she started to walk away but he pulled her back against him.

More tears fell down her cheeks and she put her hands against his chest and tried to push him away, but he didn't let go of her.

"This is me pushing you away now, so get off of me." She said her voice cracked as she tried to push him away, but he was too strong.

"And this is me holding on, I'm not leaving." He said as she continued to cry.

Slowly she stopped trying to push him back, and held onto him burying her face in his black shirt as she continued to cry in his arms.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for reading, hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter.**

**On Miss E Charlotte's profile are links to her polyvore and tumblr accounts. While you're there don't forget to check out her other stories too! ^_^**

**Also, up on my profile is the link to my polyvore account and I have another Teen Wolf story too.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having so much fun working together on writing this and your kind words and support mean so much to us!**


	19. Keep Your Head High

**Keep Your Head High - Chapter 19**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

After taking a few days off of school and staying holed up in her room, Teagan finally decided maybe it was time to get back to school and around people.

Although she quickly regretted that decision as soon as she arrived when she saw the looks people were giving her, it was just like the first day of school all over again when people gave her pity looks cause of her mom's death.

She kept her head down and somehow made it through the first half of the day. When lunch time came, instead of going to the cafeteria like she normally would, she instead went to the quiet library, thankful that there were only a handful of people in the room.

She made her way towards the back and sat down at a table. She sat her cellphone down on the table then pulled out a notebook and math book from her book bag and sat them on the table as well.

For the next several minutes, she worked on getting caught up on the work she had missed while she was out. After writing down an answer in the notebook she glanced over at her cellphone with a sigh.

Ever since the attack at the movie store she had not spoken to Avery which was the longest the two girls had ever went without talking; that included the time Avery accidentally lost her favorite Barbie doll at age six and Teagan swore to never speak to her again. That vow only last a day and a half before Avery showed up with a new doll and the two girls quickly made up.

She reached out a hand towards her phone, keeping it just barely over the phone as she debated on at least sending her a text then quickly changed her mind and pulled her hand back. It wasn't like Avery was going out of her way to contact her either.  
_'Probably too busy with her werewolf boyfriend.'_ She thought to herself with a frown. She still couldn't believe that Avery was dating a werewolf, of course she also couldn't believe that werewolves even existed. She was still trying to wrap her mind around that one.

She looked back over at her math book but couldn't even concentrate enough to solve the next problem. She stared at the same problem for close to ten minutes until she heard someone walking towards her.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing in here with all these nerds?" Jackson asked, as he sat down in the chair across from her and ignored all the looks everyone was giving him. He knew none of them were brave enough to say anything to him.

"I figured I would get caught up before the parent/teacher conference." Teagan said, as she glanced back down at her book.

"Why?" Jackson asked, confused.

"So dad won't freak out about my grades and ground me from seeing you." Teagan pointed out.

"Good reason. Although if he did I would still sneak into your room at night." Jackson said with a grin, as he leaned forward to press his lips against hers for a gentle kiss.

After the kiss he sat back down in the chair, "I just thought you were still avoiding Avery or something."

"Nope. I just got work to do." Teagan said, as she looked down to avoid his eyes.

He could always tell when she was lying with one look.

"Hey babe, look at me." Jackson said softly, as he laid a hand on top of hers. He waited until she looked at him then asked, "What is going on with you two?"

"Nothing." Teagan mumbled, as she looked back down.

Jackson leaned forward and placed his other hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him again as he said, "Yeah that's what she said too but I'm not buying it. You two have never gone this long without talking."

"We've both just been busy." Teagan said with a shrug, trying to play it off.

"I'm not buying that either." Jackson said, "You have not been the same since the attack."

"Well excuse me for having a near death experience." Teagan said angrily, as she quickly stood up from the table and began to gather her books, needing to get away and fast. She should have known coming back today was a huge mistake.

"Hey, hey, stop." Jackson said, as he jumped up and raced around the table to stop her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, for a moment he thought she was going to pull away from him but instead she melted into his arms, resting her face against his chest.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling herself relax when she got a whiff of his cologne.

He kissed the top of her head then said quietly for only her to hear, "You know that's not what I meant. It's understandable that you're freaked out. I'm just worried about you babe and I wish you would open up to me. I'm right here Teagan, let me be here for you, ok?"

She nodded her head as a few tears fell down her face from his speech. She didn't mean to push him away; she just knew she couldn't tell him what was going on. He would either think she was crazy or worse, she feared she would put him in danger.

She clenched the fabric of his shirt as it become harder to breath at the thought of something happening to him. She closed her eyes and saw the dead employee from the movie store in her mind, but instead of it being him with a slashed throat, it was Jackson.

When he heard her gasping for breath, he pushed her back a little so he could look at her and became concerned when he saw her red blotchy face, but what concerned him the most was her gasping.

"Hey, Teagan, babe, look at me." Jackson said, as he rested his hands on either side of her face and bent his knees so he was face to face with her. He saw her gasp again as she tried to take a deep breath, but no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't catch her breath

By now the other few students inside the library were watching what was taking place but none made a move to do anything. It's not that they didn't want to help, but they were all too scared to approach Jackson, all but one student.

As she continued to gasp, Isaac quickly stood up from his table and raced across the room to get to her. As he reached her side, her knees gave out and the two boys sank down to the floor with her.

Isaac didn't even think twice as he laid a hand on the side of her face and turned her to face him. He ignored the dirty look Jackson was shooting him as he grabbed one of her hands and laid it on his chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jackson asked angrily.

Isaac ignored him as he looked at Teagan, all he cared about right now was getting her to breath normally again. Jackson could kick his ass later if that made him feel better but for right now; he was going to help her because that is what friends do.

"Teagan, hey, concentrate on my heartbeat, ok? Can you feel it beating?" Isaac asked her. He waited for her to nod her head then cooed, "Good, just close your eyes and concentrate."

Both boys saw her close her eyes and waited on bated breath until they saw her finally take a deep breath. The two breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing her breath normally again. Jackson hugged her tightly against him and kissed the side of her head a couple times. He looked over her head at Isaac and didn't like the look that was on his face as he watched his girlfriend continue to breath.

"What the hell just happened?" Jackson snapped at Isaac, wanting to know what had happened to her.

"She was having a panic attack." Isaac answered as he continued to watch her slow rhythmic breaths.

"How did you know that?" Jackson asked.

"It's not her first one." Isaac answered vaguely as he reached forward to push the damp hair from her forehead then quickly pulled his hand away when Jackson shot him another dirty look and hugged her closer to him.

Jackson didn't like the idea that anyone, especially Lahey, knew more about his girl then he did. He was supposed to be the one that was there for her; the one to protect her but he was failing her.

He wasn't there to save her the night of the attack and he wasn't there for her now, but he was going to be there for her from now on. He wasn't going to let her push him away and he definitely wasn't going to let someone like Lahey take her from him; she was his girl and would always be his girl.

**~()~**

Avery had been only showing up for the last half of the school day since the attack. She had a morning class with Teagan and didn't really want to see her.

Every time she got around Jackson he kept asking what was going on with her and Teagan.

It had been easier to just avoid all of them and pick up her homework close to the end of the day. Plus, everyone stared at her when she walked by; word about the video store attack had traveled fast.

The only good thing that had come out of the attack was that she and Derek were closer than ever. But it also made her sad because she wanted to call Teagan and talk about how she felt about him, but they hadn't spoken since the night of the attack.

Avery was sitting on her bed opening the box her new laptop computer was in when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in…" she said confused as to who it was.

"Hey." Stiles said as he walked into the room.

"Stiles?" She said surprised to see him.

He looked around her still destroyed room.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah… my room is always like this." She lied shrugging it off.

He looked over to the side window that had cardboard and duct tape over it, and then to her desk where her old lap top was with the screen broken off from the rest of the computer.

"There's broken glass on the floor." He observed out loud as he saw the busted lamp on the floor.

"I like to walk on the wild side." She said looking back down to her computer box.

"On broken glass?" He asked, knowing something must have happened.

"Better than hot coals in my opinion." She said as she pulled the computer from the box.

"What happened?" He asked her.

"I just freaked out a little bit, but it was days ago. I'm better now." She said.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You've not been in school, I just wanted to check on you." He said as he looked in the bathroom and saw the broken mirror pieces all over the tile floor.

"That's sweet; you're the only one who has." She admitted.

He sat down on the bed with her and watched as she pulled the protective plastic covering off the computer.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, his eyes full of concern.

"I'm doing okay, just haven't felt like going to school much." She said, not going into detail.

"I'll be back Monday of next week though." She said as she stood and crossed her room.

He watched her as she sat her new computer down on her desk and gathered a pile of clothes out of her computer chair and dropped them on the foot of her bed.

Stiles stared at the pile of men's clothing before looking back over where she was sitting at her desk, setting up her computer.

"You've got a lot of Derek's clothes." Stiles finally said.

Avery looked over at him.

"He's been staying here." She admitted.

"Derek… he's been living with you?" tiles asked surprised.

"It's not safe for him to go home." Avery answered with a nod.

"And your dad is fine with it?" He asked, wide eyed.

"My dad doesn't really ever come up stairs, he's been sleeping in the downstairs guest bedroom since my mom died." She said as she paused and shook her head.

"I'm sorry." Stiles said.

She nodded, "Anyways, he spends so much time at work or dealing with work related issues that he doesn't even really notice. But Derek mostly uses the window anyway."

Stiles looked to another window in her room by a tree with the latch undone.

"You look shocked." She said when he stayed quiet.

"It's just… I don't know how you stand to be around him all the time. He doesn't talk much, except for threats." He said as he glanced back to the pile of clothes.

"He acts different with me." Avery said.

Stiles nodded and looked around her room.

"So how long is he going to stay with you?" he asked.

Sighing she turned her chair and looked at him.

"Stiles, I know you don't like to think about me and Derek together; so why do you keep asking me about him?" she asked with a half-smile.

"I really don't know." He admitted.

Avery was quiet as she watched him.

"When's he supposed to come back?" Stiles asked.

"Seriously?" she asked with a small laugh.

Jumping up off her bed he ran a hand over his hair and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what else to talk about. I'm in shock that I'm not only in your house, but in your bedroom."

"You were just on my bed too." She pointed out.

His eyes widened at her statement.

"But I think he'll be home soon." She answered his earlier question.

"Maybe I should go then." Stiles said, looking back to the broken glass on the floor.

"Why? Are you scared of Derek?" She asked with a smile.

"No, of course not." Stiles lied trying to shrug it off.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

Stiles shook his head back and forth, "Yeah, he scares me."

"Guess I shouldn't tell him you were on my bed then, huh?" She joked with a laugh.

Before he could answer she said, "Has Teagan been at school?"

He nodded.

"How does she seem? Is she doing okay?" Avery asked.

"She has the same sad look you do, like you both lost your best friends." Stiles said as he looked back at Derek's clothes.

"Do you want me to throw a blanket over his clothes or something?" Avery asked.

"No, I'm okay." Stiles said looking back at her.

"Does she seem like she's holding up pretty well, considering all she's been through?" Avery asked.

"I think so, but I don't really know her. Why haven't you talked to her?" He asked.

"I'm giving her some space to deal with everything. She's so freaked out and she feels like I lied to her, she doesn't want to be around me right now." Avery said.

"Maybe you should text her?" Stiles offered with a shrug.

"Maybe…" Avery said as she looked at her phone.

Her bedroom door opened and Derek walked in.

"Hey." She said smiling.

He looked at her and then back to Stiles who nervously waved and said, "What's up?"

Derek raised his eyebrows at him as he crossed the room and leaned against the wall looking at him.

"Okay, not in a very social mood…" Stiles mumbled

Derek didn't say a word but kept his heavy gaze on him.

"I just came to see if she was okay." He admitted.

"It's my house you don't have to explain anything to him." She said giving Derek a disapproving look.

"I should just go… now that I know you're okay… I'm just gonna go." He said as he pointed to the door.

"I'll see you at school…" Stiles said as he started out the door of her room.

"Thank you, for coming to check on me. It was sweet of you." Avery said offering him a friendly smile.

Stiles smiled back at her, before he headed out into the hallway.

* * *

**A/N- ****I hope you all liked the update; we're still having a lot of fun working on this story together. ^_^**

**Ahh! Did you all see the preview for the new episode of Teen Wolf? I am so nervous/excited for it! Monday night cannot get here soon enough, lol.**

**We both make sets to go along with this story on our polyvore accounts, the links are posted on our profiles.**

**If you're still reading the story, please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know. We appreciate the support, and it means a lot to us to know there is still interest in the story.**


	20. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

**Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Chapter 20**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

It was late evening and Avery had been at Allison's house since school got out; they had been working on their economics project together.

"Finally!" Allison exclaimed as she looked back over their papers.

They ordered a pizza and they were eating and talking about school and life. Avery was happy to have someone to talk to finally, she and Teagan still hadn't spoken.

"What are we talking about? Boys?" Allison's aunt Kate said as she joined the girls in Allison's bedroom.

"Avery, this is my Aunt Kate… she's more like my sister instead of my aunt though. And Kate, this is my friend Avery." Allison introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you." Avery said with a friendly smile.

"You too, sweetie." Kate responded as she joined them on the bed and picked up a slice of pizza.

The three of them talked and laughed for quite a while before Kate said, "So Avery, I know Allison's got Scott. Are you seeing anyone?"

"Oh, umm… not at the moment." Avery said. She really liked Kate Argent but she knew Allison came from a family of hunters.

"I find that hard to believe, you're a total knockout." Kate said as she took a bite of her pizza.

"I'm not really interested in anyone at school." Avery continued.

"Avery's not interested in high schoolers." Allison said smiling at her, she loved having these talks with her aunt and Avery was fitting right in with them.

Avery took a deep breath and smiled, hoping Allison would stop it.

"Dating up in age, huh?" Kate asked the teenager.

Avery nodded.

"Well don't hold out on the details, who's the lucky guy? Anyone I might know?" Kate asked her.

"Probably not." Avery said.

"His name is Derek." Allison said.

Avery's light brown eyes widened as she looked down to the bed, she couldn't believe Allison was telling her family that she was dating a werewolf.

Of course, Allison didn't know about her family being hunters, or werewolves.

"Derek, huh?" Kate asked, turning her full attention to Avery.

"Yeah." She said nodding.

"What's his last name?" Kate continued to pry.

"Hale." Avery admitted, she was starting to feel like she might be able to trust Allison's aunt.

Kate could barely hide the shocked look on her face.

Quickly changing the subject Avery said, "So Allison, how are things with Scott?"

It was close to an hour later when Avery decided to head home as she walked out of the front door and towards her car she turned when she heard the garage door open.

"Avery." Kate said as she started walking towards her.

"Yeah?" Avery asked.

Kate had a plan, if Avery was close to Derek than she could keep tabs on him through her.

And if it came down to it, she could use Avery's life as a threat to get the information about the alpha she wanted out of Derek.

"You're not very good at hiding things." Kate said with a knowing smile.

She'd decided to befriend the teenager.

"Excuse me?" Avery asked confused.

"You know what he is, don't you?" Kate asked her as she looked around the dark front yard.

Avery swallowed hard.

"You about jumped out of your skin when Allison told me, so I'm guessing you know about my family too." Kate pieced it together.

Kate watched as all the color drained from Avery's face.

"Sweetie, don't look so upset. We hunters live by a code, and we don't kill someone just because of what they are. And we have no proof that Derek has killed anyone." Kate lied.

She hardly ever lived by the code, she did whatever was necessary to get the job done; no matter who got hurt, or died in the process.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to judge, it's just not too long ago I almost lost Derek." She said quietly.

"You really like him, huh?" Kate asked, amused at her.

"A lot." Avery agreed.

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked as a look of sadness spread over Avery's face.

"It's just… I'd normally be telling my best friend all about this, but we're not speaking right now." Avery said.

"That's a shame, what happened?" Kate asked, trying to get the girl to open up as much as possible to her.

If she could gain Avery's trust she could get information from her, and Kate was pretty sure if they were to follow Avery she'd lead them straight to Derek.

"She saw Derek shift." Avery said.

Normally she'd never tell anyone this, but Kate said they lived by a code and she already knew about Derek.

Avery had felt so alone since the night of the video store attack. She could talk to Allison but not about anything werewolf related because her family hadn't told her yet.

"Yeah, that might definitely put a cramp in a friendship." Kate agreed.

"I know we don't know each other that well, and it might be kind of weird with me being Allison's aunt, but it's pretty obvious that you don't have anyone to talk to. I already know about this werewolf stuff, so you ever need to talk or anything. I'm a really good listener." Kate offered, smiling at her.

"Thanks." Avery said as she opened her car door.

"Maybe we could get lunch or something this week." Kate offered. Now that she had Avery in her sights, she didn't intend on letting the girl slip away.

"That sounds great." Avery agreed with a smile.

Kate stood in the driveway and waved to Avery as she left.

Once the teenager was out of sight, Kate let out a small laugh.

After what had happened to Derek's family 6 years ago, she thought it would be incredibly hard to find him in town. But now she was already making fast friends with his current girlfriend.

**~()~**

After the panic attack in the library Jackson offered to take her home which she gladly accepted.

She felt like she could honestly sleep for hours, which actually might not be a bad thing since she had not been getting much sleep lately.

With that thought in mind, she rested her head against the window as Jackson drove down the road toward her house. He kept glancing between the road and her, wanting to keep an eye on her.

When he saw her resting her head, he reached out to grab one of her hands that was resting on her leg, wanting her to know that he was right there beside her.

A few minutes later, he pulled his car into her driveway and shut the car off. After exiting the car he jogged over to her side as she opened the door then helped her out of the car. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he leaned forward to pick her up, holding her in his arms.

"Jackson! What are you doing?" Teagan asked surprised when he picked her up, "I can walk on my own you know."

"Just let me do this." Jackson pleaded with her. After not being able to help her during the panic attack he needed to do something for her.

"Ok. If you must." Teagan said with a chuckle as she pressed her lips against his for a quick kiss then rested her head on his shoulder.

Jackson smiled as he held her tight and walked toward the front door. As soon as he walked into the house Aspen began to circle around his feet and bark happily, causing them to laugh.

"Ok, put me down." Teagan said as she kick her legs, "I need to take him out."

Jackson shook his head, "I'll take him out, you go rest."

"You sure?" Teagan asked him, as she picked up Aspen's leash.

"Yes, now get upstairs." Jackson said, as he took the leash from her hands.

She smiled to thank him then walked up a few stairs as he clipped the leash onto Aspen's collar and turned to open the door.

Before he could open it, she turned back around, "I got to say it's a pretty big turn on when you take control like this."

"You like that huh?" Jackson said with a grin as he walked over toward the stairs until the two were face to face.

"Mm-hm. It's very hot." Teagan said quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Jackson leaned forward to kiss her but before his lips could touch hers Aspen barked and pulled back on the leash, pulling Jackson away from her.

"I guess he's the one in control now." Teagan joked as she chuckled at Aspen pulling Jackson toward the door.

"I let him think that he is, makes him feel powerful." Jackson joked back.

"Uh-huh, sure." Teagan said with a laugh.

Jackson winked at her with a smile on his face as he opened the door and walked outside with Aspen. She smiled happily then turned around to jog up the stairs into her bedroom.

She glanced over at her bed and suddenly felt drained, but first she wanted to take a hot, relaxing shower before taking a nap before the parent/teacher conference that night.

After getting undressed, she stepped into the shower and threw her head back, letting the warm water rain down her body. The water was doing a great job at loosening her stiff muscles, she just wished it could also wash away all the bad memories from that night at the movie store but unfortunately that memory would never leave her.

She stayed under the hot water a little longer then after washing off she turned off the water and stepped out. She threw on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top then walked back into her bedroom rubbing a towel through her wet hair.

She came to a stop and smiled when she saw Jackson lying in the middle of her bed, propped up against the headboard with Aspen stretch out beside him with his head resting in Jackson's lap as he petted the dog. Both boy and dog had their eyes closed as they rested. She seriously wished she had a camera.

"Now where am I supposed to lay?" Teagan asked, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Right here." Jackson said without opening his eyes, as he patted the empty space on the other side.

She continued to smile as she dropped the towel in the hamper then made her way over toward the bed. She pulled back the comforter the best she could since Jackson was laying on top of it, then laid down in the bed, curling up beside him and resting her head on his chest.

Jackson cracked an eye open to look down at her as he asked, "feeling better?"

"Mm-hm." Teagan mumbled. She had not felt this relaxed in a while and she knew it was all thanks to Jackson. Just having him beside her and listening to his heart beat had a calming effect on her.

Jackson knew he should let her rest, things had been very emotional for her lately, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind and he had to know.

"What did Lahey mean earlier?" Jackson asked her.

"What?" Teagan asked confused, as she raised her head to look at him.

"He said that wasn't your first panic attack." Jackson said, trying to keep his jealousy at bay.

"He's right. It wasn't my first one, I had another one before." Teagan answered.

Before she could continue to explain, Jackson lowered his eyebrows in anger, "When? Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to find out about it from Lahey of all people?"

"It's not like I was trying to keep it from you." Teagan answered, as she rose up a little to look at him, "It was the first day of school. We weren't exactly on good terms then."

Jackson felt some of his anger melt away and felt guilt as he remembered how he treated her when she first moved back. He knew it wasn't really her fault back then for moving, but he guessed he still felt a little bitter at losing her.

Then as much as he was happy to hear about her coming back, he wasn't very sure how to handle it and ended up handling it the wrong way.

"Don't do that." Teagan said softly when she saw the look on his face.

"Don't do what?" Jackson asked confused.

"Don't beat yourself up over the way you acted." Teagan said, "Yes it's true you were a jerk and you made me feel pretty much every emotion possible but I get that you were angry with me. We broke up, you moved on and then I came back and messed your life up."

"You never messed anything up." Jackson said, as he placed a hand on the side of her face, "And I never fully moved on after you. It was always going to be you Teagan, anyone else was just a stand in."

She smiled at his words as she leaned into his touch. She lowered her head to kiss his wrist and left her lips against his skin as she said, "I never moved on after you either."

She raised her head to look at him as she shyly admitted, "I've never been with anyone else but you. It was also just you for me too Jackson."

Jackson looked at her surprised, he always imagined she had found someone new when she moved, which was why she didn't keep in touch. That fact was the only thing that made him feel justified in dating her best friend.

"You didn't date anyone?" Jackson asked.

After she shook her head 'no' to answer he said, "I always thought you met someone and that's why you stopped calling or writing."

"I stopped because it was too hard. Every time I heard your voice it was like my heart was breaking all over again. It killed me not being with you Jackson." Teagan admitted.

Jackson thought about what she said, then when a thought hit him he said, "So if you didn't do anything with anyone, that means..."

Teagan lowered her head and blushed before interrupting with a small chuckle, "Yep. That's means you are my one and only."

"Wow." Jackson said in shock.

She raised her head to look at him as she realized this was her chance. Her chance to open up and explain her fears like Avery suggested days ago. She felt a small pain in her heart when she thought about her best friend, then pushed it aside as she quietly admitted, "That's why I always stop things between us before they get too far."

"What?" Jackson asked confused.

"You're the only guy I have been with Jackson, but I know I'm not your only one and I also know I'm no Lydia." Teagan explained.

Lydia and even Avery had always been more experienced in sex than her. Through the years of talking to Avery and hearing about her sexcapades as well as the things she had learned from Lydia, she knew there was no way she could compete with his ex-girlfriend.

"No, you are not Lydia." Jackson said, agreeing with her then added when she shot him a heartbroken look, "I don't mean it that way. I mean I'm glad you are nothing like Lydia. She's the complete opposite of you and that's why..."

"That's why you dated her." Teagan finished for him, understanding what he was saying.

Jackson nodded his head then said, "Being with someone who was nowhere even close to being like you was the only way to keep you off of my mind or at least that was my plan, but it didn't work cause no matter what, you were always there, T."

"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl." Teagan said, as she smiled at him.

"You like that huh?" Jackson asked with a grin as he leaned forward to softly kiss her lips, "And that's not even the good stuff."

"Oh there's more stuff?" Teagan asked, smiling.

Jackson nodded his head as he pulled the comforter back to lay his hands on her hips before pulling her down to lay flat on her back on the bed. She bit her bottom lip and watched as he pulled off the t-shirt he was wearing before laying down on top of her. She ran her hands up and down his bare back as he began to nibble on her neck.

"Aspen, out." Teagan breathed out before Jackson turned her face toward his and captured her lips for a heated kiss.

As the two continued to kiss they felt Aspen jump off the bed and head toward the bedroom door. Jackson ran a hand down her bare thigh, caressing her silky skin.

She wrapped her other leg around his waist and pulled him closer to her, now that all of her nerves were gone she wanted to feel every inch of him against her. But when Jackson pulled away and sat up on his knees, she looked up at him with a confused expression.

"Why did you stop?" Teagan asked, as she tried to catch her breath.

"Cause if we don't stop now I might not be able stop myself later and I don't want to push you." Jackson said, as he looked at her with lust in his eyes.

"Then don't stop." Teagan said quietly.

"What?" Jackson asked, wanting to make sure he heard her right.

Teagan sat up, standing on her knees in front of him, then wrapped her arms around his neck as she said, "I want you Jackson. I've always wanted you and I'll always want you. I knew it the day you kissed me all those years ago and I still know it today, you're the one for me."

Jackson paused for a moment, making sure she wasn't going to change her mind, then leaned forward to wrap an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him.

As the kiss heated up, he tangled his other hand in her hair as she reached down to unbutton his blue jeans and pull them down as far as she could.

He pulled back, ending the kiss to look her in the eyes as he reached down to grab the bottom of her tank top and slowly pull it over her head.

He let his eyes roam over her bare chest for a moment before he reclaimed her lips again. He rested a hand flat on her back and began to lean forward, carefully laying her back onto the bed.

Afterwards, Teagan took several deep breaths as she and Jackson lay on their backs and tried to catch their breath, both had huge grins across their faces as they both thought about the things they just did.

She held the sheet against her chest as she rolled over to her side and laid her head on Jackson's sweaty chest.

Jackson held her close as he glanced over to look at her alarm clock then said with a chuckle, "Well that's a good way to waste a couple of hours."

She giggled at the comment then turned her head to look at the time before saying, "it's almost time to get ready for the conference tonight."

"I guess that means we need to hurry then." Jackson joked, as he rolled over to lay on top of her and began to kiss her neck.

Teagan laughed and as much as she hated to do it, she pushed his head back then said, "No it means we need to get up before my dad gets home."

"Ok fine." Jackson said with an over dramatic sigh as he rolled back over and laid on his back. He watched her sit up as if she was going to get out of bed, until he reached out to pull her toward him then said, "at least lay here with me for a little bit or I'm going to start to feel like I was used."

She chuckled at his joke as she snuggled into him with a smile on her face. She didn't think she had ever been as happy as she was right now. Jackson rested his head on top of hers as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly releasing it.

Like her, he felt happy. At least for the most part, but there was one little thing he needed to do to make everything ok.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely, taking her by surprise.

"For what?" She asked confused as she lifted her head to look at him.

"For being an ass when you first moved back; for causing you to have a panic attack." He explained quietly, feeling guilty.

She softly smiled then leaned forward and kissed him before pulling back and saying, "It wasn't just the way you were acting. It was a combination of things. You know like coming back after being gone and not knowing if everyone was going to welcome me back with open arms. And yeah seeing you and Lydia sucked too but it was also missing my mom and having everyone stare at me and I just couldn't take it so I tried to escape and ended up in the boy's bathroom gasping for air."

"I know we don't talk about it a lot but I am really sorry about your mom." He said as he pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you." Teagan said back with a small smile. She looked down at the comforter then admitted quietly, "I go visit her."

"At the cemetery? Alone?" Jackson asked surprised.

She nodded.

"Why?" he asked.  
"To talk to her. To try to be close to her." Teagan explained, then when she saw the look on his face she said, "You think it's stupid don't you."

"No, it's... it's cool." Jackson said carefully. He honestly didn't see the point in talking to a granite rock, but then again he wasn't close to his family like she was to her mom.

"Maybe we can go together one day." Teagan suggested with a hopeful smile, as she reached out to hold his hand wanting to share the experience with him.

"Y-yeah, maybe, we'll see. Things are pretty busy lately with lacrosse and all." Jackson said, not wanting to upset her; but he seriously did not want to spend his time in a cemetery.

"Right, yeah of course. I didn't think of that." Teagan said quietly, as her smile fell a little.

"Well we should probably get ready. Do you mind if I take a quick shower?" Jackson asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah, go ahead." She answered with a forced smile.

Jackson gave her a quick kiss then jumped out of bed to make his way to her bathroom.

She sat in the same spot and tried not to feel disappointed. It was crazy for her to even ask him to do that right? Most guys wouldn't want to visit their girlfriend's mother's grave or just go to a cemetery in general.

Although, she couldn't help but think of Isaac, he had no problems going to a cemetery, mainly because he worked at it, but he took it a step further one night and sat with her by her mother's gravestone for hours. Was it so wrong to wish Jackson would do the same or was she being unreasonable?

She softly smiled when she thought back to that night and the way Isaac watched her so intently as she told story after story about her mom, he even asked the right questions at the right time. It was always so easy to open up and talk to him, but that didn't necessarily mean anything, or did it?

* * *

**A/N- Holy crap you guys, did you all see last nights episode? So intense! It's torture having to wait from week to week for a new episode. **

**Don't forget to go to Miss E Charlotte's profile, and my profile to get the links for our Polyvore accounts and check out our other stories. We're still having so much writing and planning for this one.**

**It would really mean a lot if you'd take the time to leave a review and let us know if you're still reading and enjoying the story.**


	21. Mountain Lion

**Mountain Lion - Chapter 21**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery walked in her front door from having an afterschool lunch with Allison's Aunt Kate.

"Avery, I thought you'd be home an hour ago." Richard said to his daughter as he met her in the entry way.

"I had lunch with a friend." Avery replied as she started to walk past him up the stairs.

"I got a week off work a little later this month." He said.

"Okay?" Avery said waiting for him to continue as she turned around and faced him.

"I thought maybe we could take a small vacation." He said.

"You want to take me on vacation with you?" She asked shocked.

"Why do you seem so surprised?" He asked.

"You never ask me to go on vacation with you. You always take your vacations by yourself and I spend a month away over the summer on vacation." She said her eyebrows raised.

"I thought maybe we could sit down later and look over a few places to go." He continued.

"I'm sorry, but I can't right now… I have school and it's not a good time for me to leave town." She said, she didn't feel right leaving for a week when the alpha was still on the loose killing people.

"What you mean you can't leave town?" He asked, a little frustrated she didn't agree to go.

"There's some stuff going on right now, and I can't leave Beacon Hills. I'm sorry, any other time I would have loved to go." She said apologetically.

"You know Avery, I just don't understand it. You get pissed when I work all the time, but every single time I've tried to reach out to you, you shoot me down." He said, angry.

"Are you really mad at me about this?" She asked, her jaw tense with anger as she looked at him.

"I feel like I'm just wasting my time and energy here trying to spend time with you, you always have something more important to do." He said, a little louder than he'd meant to.

She stared down at the marble floor in their entry way for a few seconds before she looked back up at him, her eyes dark as she snapped "Yeah? Well, try being shot down every time you try to reach out to someone for 6 years."

"Avery…" He started to say but she started up the stairs.

"I'm scheduling this vacation and I'll go by myself!" He yelled after her.

"Good, schedule it far, far away." She called back as she went into her room.

It looked a lot better than it had the past week after she had a melt down and broke several things.

She had gotten all the glass cleaned up and her broken belongings replaced, the last 2 things she needed was a new bathroom mirror and a new window.

Her broken window was still covered in the card board and duct tape that she and Derek had put over it.

As she walked past her bathroom door she stopped and looked at it, her eyes stopping on a new mirror on the wall over her dark blue porcelain sink.

Hearing a noise behind her she turned and saw Derek standing in front of the window she always left unlatched so he could get in.

"Hey." She said smiling at him.

"Where were you?" He asked, he'd been waiting in her room on her, but she didn't come straight home after school.

"Oh, I had lunch with a friend." She answered, still smiling.

"Is Teagan talking to you again?" He asked as he turned around then pulled the window shut.

"No, with a new friend." She answered as she kicked her shoes off.

"Who?" He asked, she had been out with someone for lunch a few times lately, but hadn't told him who it was.

Ignoring his question she said, "I saw the mirror, you replaced it for me."

He looked past her to the bathroom and nodded.

"Thank you." She said as she walked up to him and kissed him.

Once they broke the kiss he said, "It's been over a week since it was broken."

"Still, it was sweet you did that for me." She said, leaning in and kissing him again.

"It's a not a big deal, just a mirror." He said, shrugging her words off.

"Why is it that every time you do something nice for me, you try to act like it's not a big deal?" She asked as she reached up and held onto his shoulders.

Her heart skipped a few beats as their eyes locked and he rubbed his hands firmly down her sides until they landed on her hips and he pulled her closer to him.

"It's just a mirror." He said, his voice low as he spoke, with their faces only inches apart.

"It might just be a mirror, but it's still something nice that you did for me." She said, her voice barely over a whisper as she watched his eyes travel from her eyes to her lips.

Leaning her body into his she held onto the back of his head and neck as she said, "I love the mirror, thank you."

"I grabbed the first one I saw." He said, as he slid his hands up her sides, under the edge of her shirt.

"That's a lie! It looks almost identical to my old one." She said with a small laugh.

He held onto her bare sides and smiled at how smoother her flesh felt under his hands.

Leaning down he kissed her, she lightly dug her nails into his scalp pulling his face even closer to hers.

Breaking their kiss she said, "It doesn't make you any less of a bad-ass because you like to do nice things for me."

With a small sigh he said, "It was just a mirror." But the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.

"Just shut up." Avery said smiling as she pulled his face back down to hers.

**~()~**

A few hours later, Teagan and Jackson were sitting outside the school, enjoying the cool night air with a few other random students standing around while his adopted parents and her dad were inside the school meeting with their teachers.

He honestly didn't care what his teachers said about him, if it wasn't for Teagan he wouldn't even be here, but she was a nervous wreck, worrying what her teachers were telling her dad about her.

As she looked down at the ground, running different scenarios through in her head of how the meeting could be going, Jackson wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward him, hoping to give her some comfort.

He lowered his head to give her a quick kiss on the side of her head then he raised his head and smirked when he saw Isaac off to the side watching them.

Jackson kept one eye on Isaac as he lightly grabbed Teagan's chin and lifted her head before leaning down and capturing her lips for a deep kiss, wanting to show Isaac exactly who she belonged to. He continued to kiss her until Isaac finally looked away, only then did Jackson end the kiss and looked down at her with a smile on his face.

She raised up on her toes, planning to give him another kiss until they heard a door open and saw several parents walk out. She glanced around for her dad until she saw him walking toward them with an unreadable expression on his face.

She glanced up at Jackson with a worried look before looking back at her dad.

Paul walked up to his daughter then said with a sigh, "Let's go home."

Teagan's mouth dropped open in shock as she tried to read into his words or expression to find out how much trouble she was in, but her dad didn't say anything else as he turned around and went to walk towards the car.

"Dad, wait, please." Teagan called out as she ran behind him and asked, "What happened?"

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Paul asked confused as he turned around to face her and Jackson, who was standing behind her for support.

"What happened with my teachers? What did they say?" Teagan asked, her stomach in knots.

"Oh that... they all said you are doing great. You have all A's, you participate and cause no problems. They are all really happy with you." Paul said with a proud smile.

Teagan breathed a sigh of relief as she laid a hand on her heart and felt Jackson lay a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. She glanced behind her to look at him, then with a soft chuckle turned back to look at her dad and asked, "Then what was with that whole 'let's go home' thing?"

"You looked too serious when I walked up so I thought I would have a little fun." Paul answered with a shrug.

"That was not funny." Teagan said with a chuckle as she rushed forward to hug her dad.

Paul laughed as he kissed the top of her head then said quietly for her to hear, "I'm really proud of you kiddo and your mom would be too."

"Thanks, Dad." She said back with tears in her eyes, as she hugged him tight.

"Now what do you say I take you two out and we celebrate my genius daughter." Paul suggested, as he looked at her and Jackson.

Teagan looked down and blushed at the compliment as Jackson placed his hands on her shoulders, showing her, he too was proud of her, "I think that's a great idea."

Paul opened his mouth to suggest it was time to leave until they heard arguing coming from nearby. Teagan glanced over toward the voices and saw Allison and Scott being yelling at by Allison's parents as well as Scott's mother.

She watched for a few moments, feeling bad for her new friend and Scott until her dad announced he would be right back. The lawyer in him couldn't help but walk over toward the small group and offer to help settle the dispute.

As they waited, Teagan leaned against Jackson and rested her head against his chest as she glanced around the parking lot.

She frowned when she saw Isaac and his dad across the parking lot, his dad was in his face speaking in a hushed tone but even she could tell from where she was standing that his dad wasn't happy with him.

She thought about getting her dad, seeing if he could help them somehow next, but before she could even think about doing anything, she froze when she saw something big and dark run across the parking lot from the corner of her eye.

She gasped and pulled away from Jackson, causing him to look at her with a concerned expression as he asked her what was wrong.

"I-I saw something." She stuttered, having flashbacks to the night at the movie store.

Jackson glanced around but didn't see anything, which is what he told her.

"No, I saw something I swear." Teagan said, as she took a few steps away from him and turned around slowly, looking at everywhere possible.

"Teagan, there's nothing..." Jackson begin to say until they heard someone scream out in terror, suddenly causing everyone in the parking lot began to panic and yell as they made a mad dash to their cars.

Teagan stood froze as she watched everything happen around her, she turned back around to look at Jackson with wide eyes as he reached out to grab her arm, pulling her behind him.

She heard her dad calling out for her but was to terrified to yell back, instead she latched onto Jackson, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her head in his back, not wanting to see the monster again.

Jackson, curious about what was skulking around the parking lot, removed her arms from around him and told her to stay put. She cried out and reached for him, begging him not to leave her.

"I'll be alright, I promise. Stay here." Jackson said, as he gave her a quick kiss and ran across the parking lot towards the chaos.

He knew it was probably stupid to head towards the danger, but after failing her so many times lately, he wanted to finally be the hero and go after the animal that had attacked her nights ago.

Teagan tried to keep her eyes on Jackson, terrified that whatever was out there would hurt him or worse.

When she lost sight of him, she took a few steps forward, not realizing she was standing so close to several parked cars.

Jackson saw the animal circle back around and turned around to look for him but instead a car heading for Teagan caught his eye. He called out her name and tried to run towards her until a car backed up, blocking him and forcing him to watch as the car got closer to her.

Teagan turned her head and gasped in surprise when she saw the fast moving car, she threw up her hands with a scream as she waited for impact, but instead she felt someone's arm wrapped around her waist before they began to fall towards the ground with a hard thud. She opened her eyes and looked behind her, surprised to see it was Isaac who risked his life to save her.

She softly smiled at him and opened her mouth to thank him but before she could say a word, she felt someone grab her arm, causing her to hiss out in pain as she was pulled up from the ground.

"Hey, look at me, are you ok?" Jackson asked, as he grabbed her face, turning her away from Isaac to look at him.

"Yeah, but my arm hurts." Teagan said, as she glanced down and saw a huge scratch on her forearm to her elbow.

"It's not broke or anything is it?" Isaac asked, as he stood up with a worried expression, afraid that he had hurt her.

As Isaac reached out to look at her arm, Jackson pushed him back before calling out, "back off Lahey or I swear I'll..."

"Jackson, stop!" Teagan cried out, as she stood in between the two boys.

"I was just checking on her." Isaac argued.

"You've done enough." Jackson snapped back.

Teagan opened her mouth to yell at him to stop again, but before she could say a word, her dad rushed over towards her and pulled her into his arms as he asked her if she was ok.

He looked over at Isaac, thanking him for saving her before he pushed her back a little to check her over.

Other than a few scratches on her arm and a tiny scratch on her forehead she seemed to be ok for which he was grateful.

Teagan jumped in her father's arms when she heard a gunshot fire then asked, "What was that?"

Jackson glanced off to the side then said, "They got it."

Teagan didn't even realize tears were falling down her face until she felt her dad wiping them away as he said, "Shh, it's ok Sweet Tea, it's dead. The mountain lion that attacked you is dead."

Teagan felt more tears fill her eyes, wishing so badly that that statement was true, but she knew it wasn't a mountain lion that had attacked her and Avery, it was something way, way worse.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you so much for reading! I hope you guys all liked the update... sorry it took a little while to get posted, had a pretty busy week.**

**On Miss E Charlotte's profile are links to her polyvore account where she's planning to start posting sneak peaks for up coming chapters. While you're there don't forget to check out her other stories too! ^_^**

**Also, up on my profile is the link to my polyvore account and I have another Teen Wolf story too.**

**Oh man, I just heard that Cory Monteith from Glee was found dead in his hotel room. I'm just devastated by the news, *big hugs* to all my fellow Gleeks, R.I.P Cory Monteith.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having a blast writing this and your kind words and support mean so much.**


	22. Making Rounds

**Making Rounds - Chapter 22**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery walked up to Teagan's front door and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. A few moments later her father, Paul answered.

"Avery, what a nice surprise. Come in." He greeted the teenager.

"Thank you." Avery said politely, as she walked in the warm and inviting house.

Earlier that night at the parent teacher conferences there was an incident where a mountain lion ended up on the school grounds and caused mass chaos.

In all the madness Teagan almost got hit by a car, but luckily Isaac was able to get her out of the way in time.

"How is Teagan?" Avery asked her brown eyes full of concern.

"She's doing okay, she went to her room about an hour ago if you want to head up and see her." Paul said motioning for the stairs.

Avery looked down to the floor for a few seconds before she looked back up at him.

"No, that's okay. I just wanted to make sure she was okay." Avery declined.

Paul gave her a confused look.

"It could have been a lot worse if one of her classmates hadn't pushed her out of the way. She's got a few bumps and bruises… and scratches but nothing too severe." He assured her.

"Good." Avery breathed out.

"I'm sure Teagan would love to see you." He said.

"I doubt that, we've kind of hit a rough patch." Avery said vaguely.

"What happened?" He asked.

"You know normal teenager girl stuff. Hopefully we'll patch everything up soon, I miss her." Avery admitted.

He watched the teenager closely, "She misses you too."

"I'm not so sure about that." Avery breathed out so softly he barely heard her.

"You weren't at the parent teacher conferences?" He questioned.

"No, my grades are all above C's and my dad was busy with work." She said.

He frowned and nodded, even he knew Avery's dad paid more attention to his job than his own daughter.

"It was complete chaos when the mountain lion showed up, Teagan wasn't the only who almost hit by a car. In fact the Sherriff did get hit." He told her.

"Sherriff Stilinski?" Avery gasped.

He nodded.

"That's terrible." Avery breathed out.

After a pause she said, "I'd better get going, I have one more stop I need to make before I head home."

"I'll let Teagan know you stopped by." He said as he walked her to the door.

"You don't have too. Have a goodnight." Avery said over her shoulder as she got in her car and drove off.

A little while later she pulled up outside of the Stilinski house, she walked up the streetlight illuminated driveway to the house.

After she knocked on the door, Stiles answered it.

His eyes widened as he saw her.

"Hey…" He greeted.

"Hey, I heard about your dad… is he okay?" She asked.

"He just got back from the hospital a little while ago, they gave him some pain medicine and he's sleeping now, but they said he'll be fine." Stiles said, still surprised she was there.

"That's good, I'm glad it's not serious." Avery said, relieved.

"You stopped by to see how my dad was doing?" He questioned.

"And to check on you." She admitted.

He looked around and smiled, Avery Dukate went out of her way to come by and check on him.

"I'm okay." He said nodding.

"You came by to check on me when I had a traumatic experience, so you know… thought I'd do the same." She said, smiling at him.

She never imagined that she'd ever be friends with Stiles, or even remotely care about him; but then again she also never imaged she'd have a werewolf boyfriend.

"You're the only one who's checked on us." He admitted after a small silence.

"Seriously? Scott didn't come by?" she asked.

"He skipped school with Allison, and I've still not been able to get a hold of him." He explained.

She nodded and offered a small smile, she knew exactly how he felt not having his best friend around.

"Hey, uh… you wanna come in?" He asked.

"I should really get home…" She said, knowing Derek was probably at her house waiting on her.

"Yeah, that's cool… I guess I'll see you at school." He said, to her, stammering slightly as he spoke.

She nodded and turned, but after walking a few steps away she turned around and said "You've got my number, you know you can call me if you need a friend, right?"

He tried to hide the shock on his face.

"Yeah." He managed to say.

"Same with you, I'm here if you need me… uh, if you need a friend." He quickly said, his words a little jumbled together.

She nodded and waved before getting in her car and leaving a smiling Stiles still standing at his open front door.

**~(The next day)~**

"Where are you going?" Avery asked as she walked out of her bathroom into her bedroom.

"To see Scott." Derek said as he pulled on a dark gray long sleeve shirt.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

He looked over at her confused, "No… why?"

"So I can borrow this then?" She asked as she held up his leather jacket.

"Where's yours?" He asked her.

"At school in my locker, I forgot it." She said still holding onto his favorite jacket.

"It's not that cold out." He said.

"But… I'm in a tank top and it doesn't even reach the top of me jeans." She said.

He looked down to where she had a few inches of skin showing between her tight tank top and equally snug jeans.

"Then wear a different shirt." He said, his eyes scanning her body as he spoke.

"Please Derek, I'm not going to lose it." She pleaded.

"You lost it the last time." He reminded her as he faced her with his arms folded across his chest.

"I did not lose it… I only left it at Lydia's on accident." Avery reminded him.

"But when you got it back, it smelled like flowers for a week." He said.

"I'm not going to lose it, I promise." She said as she crossed the room and leaned her body against his then rose up and kissed him.

He sighed in defeat and opened his mouth to say something but before he could she kissed him again and whispered, with a seductive smile "And if I lose it… you can spank me."

He smiled as he reclaimed her lips with his own before pulling back and saying, "I don't have to meet Scott, right now."

"But I'm meeting a friend for coffee, and I'm already running late." She said, her eyes meeting his.

"So cancel." He said as he pulled her closer to him and kissed from her mouth down to the side of her face until he concentrated on the side of her neck.

Her fingertips dug into his upper arms as she titled her head to give him easier access to her tender skin as a breathless moan escaped her lips.

"I… I can't cancel, she's probably already on her way there." Avery said smiling as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Her eyes slightly rolled back and she moaned again as his teeth grazed over the sensitive spot.

In response to the pleasured noise, his body tensed and his grip tightened on her sides.

"Derek… come on… I have to go." She said.

"Reschedule." He whispered his lips brushed over her jawline as he kissed back up to her mouth.

She bit down on the side of her bottom lip as their eyes met, and shook her head back and forth giving him an apologetic smile.

He nodded as he leaned in and kissed her hand, his hands tracing the contours of her body.

It took every bit of self-control she had to slide back out of his arms, "I'm leaving before you do manage to change my mind and I'm wearing this." She said as she picked his jacket up off the bed where she had thrown it.

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

Pulling on his leather jacket she said, "See you later."

Walking after her he grabbed her arm and spun her around until she faced him again.

Her breath caught in her throat and Derek smiled as he could hear her heart racing even faster than it had been.

"Don't lose it." He said, as he kissed her again.

"I won't." She replied as she smiled and headed out of her bedroom.

~()~

Avery had been meeting Kate every day for over a week now, she felt like Kate could have been the older sister she never had.

Kate was still gaining Avery's trust with every intention to use her to hurt Derek in one way or another.

The two sat in the café by window as they drank their coffees and talked.

"How are things with your friend?" Kate asked.

"Not so good, she still won't talk to me. I'd never seen her so scared in my entire life." Avery said, thinking back to the look of sheer terror on Teagan's face the night at the video store.

"She'll come around." Kate assured her with a friendly smile.

"I hope." Avery said glancing down at the table with a frown; this was the longest she'd gone without talking to her best friend.

"Change of subject then… how are thing with Derek?" Kate pried, with a friendly smile.

"Really great." Avery answered smiling.

"It doesn't bother you at all, knowing what he is?" Kate asked.

"No." Avery replied honestly.

"Werewolves are so unpredictable and not the best at controlling themselves. You're not worried he might hurt you, even on a full moon?" Kate continued to push her.

"No, he's in complete control." Avery assured her.

"That's good, I was worried with their impulse control he might be controlling or possessive towards you." Kate said.

Avery's eyebrows pushed together as she took a drink of her coffee.

"He's controlling and possessive…" Kate said.

"No, he's… he's just a really intense person and a little protective." Avery brushed it off.

Kate nodded and smiled to herself as she took a drink of her own coffee, she could tell by the look in Avery's eyes she was starting to mess with her mind.

Avery still didn't have anyone to talk too and with as much time as she was spending with Kate she was feeling like she could trust her.

"There's a fine line between possessive and protective, it might seem sweet at first… but what if it turns into him saying who you can and can't see? Trying to control things even farther?" Kate said as she glanced around the coffee shop.

"He's not like that." Avery said her voice a little gruff.

Kate held her hands up in surrender, "I just want you to look out for yourself."

Seeing the teenagers' irritation, Kate stopped asking her about Derek.

Derek opened up the driver's door to his car, but stopped when he could hear Avery talking.

Looking around, his eyes stopped on a window in the coffee shop.

"See you tomorrow, sweetie." Kate said as she hugged the teenager.

"Bye Kate." Avery cheerfully replied as she returned the friendly hug.

Derek couldn't believe his eyes as he watched them.

He didn't know Avery even knew who Kate Argent was, let alone that they were on friendly terms.

A knot rose in his stomach as he thought how much Avery had been leaving to meet a friend, he'd never have guessed that friend was the hunter who used him years ago to get to the rest of his family.

Avery had no idea she had been hanging out with one of the people responsible for her mother's death.

The day the fire was set at the Hale house, Avery's mom had been there visiting her good friend, Derek's aunt.

Derek watched as the girls went their separate ways; getting in his car he sped off.

**~(A couple of days later)~**

After being driven around by Jackson or her dad, Teagan was finally driving herself to school early one morning.

Ever since the whole 'mountain lion' in the school parking lot thing, both men were by her side constantly. She could barely move without one of them asking if she was ok or if she needed anything, which was sweet and she loved them for it, but she was beginning to feel suffocated.

Although, driving down the road with her window open, letting in the cool morning air was helping some with that.

She took a deep breath then slowly released it with a smile on her face, enjoying her first moment alone in days. But as she drove by Avery's house, she felt her smile drop as the pang in her heart returned.

The one downside about being alone, it gave her time to think and her mind went back to that terrible night at the movie store. So much changed that night and she knew things would never be the same.

She was looking at everything different now. Her mom's murder, her best friend and the guy her best friend is dating. She had always felt like Derek was hiding this deep dark secret and now she realized what it was, he was a werewolf and now her best friend was right in the middle of it all.

Teagan still couldn't understand how Avery could be ok with the whole werewolf thing. It was bad enough when everyone thought Derek was a murderer.

Now to find out he's a werewolf; which if she remembers correctly from all the horror movies Avery made her watch through the years, it meant he was still basically a murderer because every werewolf movies she had seen, all they basically did was go around killing people.

She thought back to the body that was found in the woods towards the beginning of the school year as well as the bus driver and of course the movie store guy and couldn't help but wonder if it was Derek that done those attacks or maybe it was the other beast that almost killed her and Avery?

Not having an answer, she shook her head, wanting to get rid of anything werewolf related from her mind. Which is something she never thought she would have to do; this was real life and werewolves were not supposed to be real. When did life get so complicated?

With a sigh, she turned onto the road that would take her by the cemetery, not caring that going that route would take her longer to get to school.

Most mornings when she drove herself to school she liked to drive past it to feel close to her mom for a moment. Somehow it made getting through the day easier.

She had just driven past the cemetery when she saw someone up ahead walking down the road. As she got closer she realized who the person was and slowed down, coasting along beside him as she rolled down the passenger side window and called his name.

Isaac turned his head, surprised to see her and couldn't help but smile as he walked closer to the car and leaned down, resting his arm on the open window and called out a friendly greeting to her.

"Going to school or skipping?" Teagan asked with a laugh.

"Going to school." Isaac answered, as he laughed back.

"Well hop in, I'll give you a ride." Teagan offered as she hit a button to unlock the door.

"That's ok. It's not that far." Isaac lied. It's not that he didn't want to take her up on the offer, he would love to get out of the cold plus spending time with her was an added bonus, but he knew he was supposed to stay away from her, her boyfriend's orders.  
"The school is miles from here." Teagan pointed out. She saw him look around like he was making sure the coast was clear as he thought hard about her offer. She sighed then decided to 'pull an Avery' and not take no for an answer.

She leaned over to open the passenger door and push it open as she said, "Just get in the car, Isaac."

Isaac glanced around one more time then quickly got inside the car, flashing her a grateful smile as he pulled the hoodie he was wearing tighter around him. When she saw him shivering, she rolled up her window and turned the heater on high.

"Sorry about it being so cold in here. I just needed some fresh air this morning." She said to him.

"It's ok. I'm not t-that cold." He lied, as he shivered again.

"You're a terrible liar. You know that right?" Teagan joked.

"Sorry." Isaac said with a laugh, "Ok the truth is I feel like a block of ice over here."

"See honesty's not bad is it?" She joked, as she glanced over at him with a smile, causing him to smile back.

Before turning her head back towards the road, she looked down and saw he had a wrist brace on again and asked, "Is your wrist still bothering you?"

Isaac looked down at his hand as he said, "It was feeling better until... until the other night."

She glanced over at him confused, wondering why he paused until she realized he meant the night he saved her. She bit her bottom lip, feeling guilty for being the reason he was hurt.

"I'm sorry." Teagan said sincerely, as she glanced over at him.

"You don't have to apologize. It's not that big of a deal." Isaac said, shrugging it off.

"It is a big deal. You're hurt and it's all my fault." Teagan argued.

Isaac shook his head as he shyly admitted, "I would risk my life in a heartbeat if it meant that you were ok."

Teagan quickly turned her head to look at him, shocked at his words. She felt her mouth drop open as he raised his head to look at her and the two locked eyes.

She felt a small fluttering in her stomach, but was confused on why. That was a feeling that was usually reserved for Jackson only.

The two continued to look at each other in a daze, neither one being able to look away, until she heard a horn blow. She turned her head back toward the road and gasped when she saw she was about to run a stop sign.

She quickly slammed on the brakes, causing her and Isaac to be thrown a little forward before being slammed back against the seat thanks to the seat belts.

Teagan laid a hand over her chest and took several deep breaths as she tried to calm down her racing heart. She glanced over at Isaac and saw him breathing heavily as he too was trying to calm himself down.

"Isaac I am so sorry. I-I don't know what happened." Teagan said immediately, feeling terrible for almost getting him involved in a wreck.

"It's ok, it was an accident." Isaac said back.

"I swear I'm a great driver. I just... I-I..."

"Seriously Teagan, it's ok." Isaac said, as he cautiously reached out and laid his hand on top of hers, which was resting on her leg.

As he lightly caressed the back of her hand, hoping to comfort her, she felt another small flutter in her stomach. She looked down at their hands, watching his finger move back and forth over her knuckles until she heard another horn blow and jumped in her seat.

She looked in her rear view mirror and saw a car behind her, blowing the horn, waiting for her to move. It was only then that she realized she and Isaac had still been sitting at the same stop sign. What was wrong with her this morning?  
She threw up her hand to apologize to the car behind her then pulled out on to the road. She drove down the road silently for a few minutes as she tried to clear her mind and concentrate on her driving.

Now more clear headed, she glanced over at him for a second then said, "I never did get to thank you by the way, for the other night."

"You don't have to thank me." Isaac said.

"Are you kidding? Of course I do. My dad wanted me to thank you too." Teagan said, then added with a laugh, "he was this close to having a dinner in your honor to thank you but I told him that might be taking it a little too far."

As he chuckled at her comment, she glanced at him again then said, "but seriously Isaac, thank you."

"I'm just glad you're ok. It could have been worse." Isaac said.

"Seems like worse is all that has been happening lately." Teagan mumbled, as she thought about all the bad things lately.

He looked over at her and saw the expression on her face, he wanted to ask her if she was ok but didn't want to push her. Instead he said, "you know if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll listen."

"I know." Teagan said, as she pulled into the school parking lot. She pulled into the first available parking space then looked over at him with a smile as she said, "Thanks, Isaac."

He smiled with a nod then reached out to open the car door and stepped out. She reached into the backseat to grab her book bag then exited the car as Isaac shut the passenger side door.

He walked over toward her as the two began to walk across the parking lot toward the school building. The two were laughing and joking around until she heard Jackson call out her name.

She came to a stop and turned around to look behind her to see Jackson walking towards them with a pissed off look on his face.

She opened her mouth to tell him 'hey' but before she could say a word, he pressed his lips against hers for a deep kiss right in front of Isaac.

She tried to pull back, not wanting to be rude but Jackson held on to the back of her neck as he continued to move his lips against hers. Isaac looked away, not being able to watch any longer.

After a long kiss, Jackson finally pulled back then looked over at Isaac with a smirk on his face as he snapped, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Thanks for the ride." Isaac mumbled to her before walking past them to get inside the building.

"What was that about?" Teagan asked Jackson, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What? Can't I kiss my girl good morning?" Jackson asked innocently.

"That's not what you were doing." Teagan argued, then added angrily, "It was like you were marking your territory."

Jackson rolled his eyes then said, "That's ridiculous T. Besides, I should be the pissed off one here. Why was he even in the car with you?"

"He needed a ride to school." Teagan answered, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Let him find another ride then." Jackson pointed out, then added, "the boy is stalking you T, he's like obsessed with you."

"Now that's ridiculous." Teagan scoffed.

"No it's not. You ever noticed how he always conveniently shows up where you are?" Jackson asked, then added, "And I've noticed him staring at you all the time."

Teagan felt a chill down her spine at his words, she wasn't sure if he was right or not, but either way with the way things had been going lately she wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

_'But this is Isaac' _She argued with herself. She knew Isaac... didn't she? Either way, she didn't have time to think about it all now.

There was enough on her mind and she honestly wasn't sure how much more she could take.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for reading, hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter.**

**On Miss E Charlotte's profile are links to her polyvore and tumblr accounts. While you're there don't forget to check out her other stories too! ^_^**

**Also, up on my profile is the link to my polyvore account and I have another Teen Wolf story too.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having so much fun working together on writing this and your kind words and support keeps us going. ^_^**


	23. Half of My Heart

**Half of My Heart - Chapter 23**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery sat on her bed, she was in a pair of black silk sleeping shorts and a black silk and lace top that matched them.

She had been trying for a few hours to read the book they had been assigned in class but she couldn't focus.

Derek should have been back hours ago and he wasn't returning her calls or texts.

She had even called Scott who said he hadn't seen Derek since earlier that afternoon.

A little while later her window opened and he came into her room.

"Finally, oh my god… I was so scared something had happened to you." Avery said as she dropped the book to the floor and rushed over to him.

Her smile fell to a frown when he didn't return her hug.

"What's wrong?" She asked stepping back and looking at him.

"How do you know Kate Argent?" He asked her, his voice gruff.

"She's a friend… why?" Avery asked confused at his reaction.

"She's not your friend." Derek accidently snapped.

"Yes, she is." Avery argued.

"Why didn't you tell me you were talking to her? Because she told you not to mention her?" He accused.

"No, she never told me not tell you anything. What the hell is going on?" Avery asked.

"I wasn't aware that I had to tell you when I made a new friend." Avery said, as she took a few steps back and looked at him.

"You can't just go around trusting anyone who pays attention to you." He said, without even thinking.

Her jaw dropped as she looked at him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to control his anger.

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded." He said as he exhaled.

"I don't think it really could have been taken more than one way." She said, hurt apparent in her voice.

"You can't trust her." Derek said taking a few steps towards her.

"Why?" Avery asked, not liking the way he was talking to her.

"She's a hunter…" Derek answered vaguely.

He couldn't bring himself to tell her that Kate played a part in her family's death and the only reason she even found out about his family was because of him.

"You're going to have to give me more than that." Avery said.

"That should be enough!" Derek said, his voice loud.

"I'm not a werewolf… I'm not going to automatically hate someone because they're a hunter. They have this code they live by." She said.

Derek shook his head and his jaw tensed in rage, Kate never lived by the code.

He thought back to how she had used him to kill his family, and his rage started to take over.

Avery gasped as she saw his eyes start to glow blue.

She took a step back from him as she saw his hands ball into fists at his sides.

"Derek…" She said, her voice quiet, but had a hint of nervousness in her tone.

"I need you to trust me on this." He said as he released his clenched hands and his eyes went back to normal.

"I'm trying to trust you." She admitted, her eyes locking with his.

"You can't talk to her, at all. You have to stay away from her." Derek said.

Avery was quiet for a few seconds as she looked down to the dark blue carpet in her room.

"Avery." Derek said, but his tone was gruff.

"You aren't going to tell me who I can talk to or be friends with." She said looking up to him, her own jaw tense in anger.

"I am trying to protect you." He said, his voice almost in a yell.

"Protect me, or control me?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's what I mean, she is putting thoughts in your head." Derek said, knowing it must have been Kate who told her he'd try to be controlling.

"She has done nothing but listen to me and be a friend, Derek." Avery defended her.

"You have to stay away from her, it's dangerous." Derek said as he took a few steps towards her.

He knew Kate might not only use Avery to find him, but she could use Avery's life and wellbeing as a threat to him.

"No." Avery argued.

"Why the hell can't you just trust me on this?" Derek yelled.

"Because you don't trust me." She answered her voice soft.

"I trust you." He tried to tell her.

"More than anyone else, maybe… but you don't trust me completely. I know you're hiding something from me." She told him.

He sighed and tried to keep his anger and emotions in check, he hadn't meant to be yelling at her.

"Is there something about Kate you know, that you're not telling me? Because if you can give me a good enough reason I'll never talk to her again." Avery said.

She watched as his hands balled into fists again and his eyes glowed blue.

He could hear her heart start to beat a little faster and he knew he was scaring her.

Without another word to her, he turned and jumped out of her open window.

She ran across her room and looked down but he was already gone.

**~()~**

After school Teagan went straight home. Between all the werewolf stuff and all the confusing thoughts from that morning she just needed a few moments alone before Jackson came over.

She took Aspen for a jog then took a long hot shower until Jackson showed up.

For the next few hours she went through the motions with him as many thoughts raced through her mind.

The more she thought about his comment that morning about Isaac, the more she thought about it, she just couldn't believe it.

Sure Isaac had showed up a lot in her life, but he had always went above and beyond to help her.

He had always been nothing but nice to her and she had never felt scared for her life when she was around him and after some of the close calls she had had recently, she knew exactly what it felt like to be scared for your life.

With Isaac she had felt calm and safe, which she also felt with Jackson but there was just something different about Isaac.

Something she couldn't explain. Plus there was the fact that he was easy to talk to and she honestly felt like she could tell him anything.

Then there was that feeling she was getting this morning, although she didn't want to think about that. That meant nothing, it had to mean nothing.

The bottom line was Isaac was her friend and Jackson was her boyfriend and there was nothing wrong with having both boys in her life.

With that thought in mind, she walked Jackson to the door at the end of the night and gave him a kiss then leaned back against the door and glanced around the empty house.

Her dad would be arriving home any moment then they would have a nice dinner and talk about their day like usual.

Some nights they would even watch some TV together before going their separate ways, but her dad always wanted them to eat dinner together as much as possible, which is something they used to do together every night as a family and he wanted to keep that tradition alive for Lisa.

With her mom on her mind, she walked into the living room, looking at every picture around the room.

Some were of her, different snap shots of her growing up. Sometimes she was alone, sometimes she was with one parent or both.

There were also a few pictures of her parents together scattered around the room.

She walked over to the fireplace and picked up a solo picture of her mom. It was always her favorite picture of her mom and what made it even more special was it was a picture she had taken of her mom when she was a young teen.

One year for Christmas all she wanted was a camera. Lydia had received one months before on her birthday and after rubbing it in hers and Avery's face for months, the two girls wanted nothing more than to have a camera of their own.

She already knew Avery was getting a camera since her dad always put her presents under the tree unwrapped since he was always too busy to wrap them.

Since her family didn't have a lot of money at the moment her mom had told her repeatedly that they couldn't afford the camera she wanted that year, but maybe the following year she could get it.

When Christmas morning arrived she quickly opened her presents, thanking her parents for everything but had secretly hoped there would have been a camera under the tree.

Once all the presents were gone, her dad announced there was one more thing to open. He left the room for a few minutes then came back with one more wrapped present.

She felt her heart racing with excitement as she opened it, a wide smile on her face when she saw the camera she wanted. She spent the rest of the day snapping pictures of anything and everything outside before making her way inside once it had begun to get dark.

She heard music coming from the kitchen and made her way towards it. She peeked inside the room and smiled when she saw her parents dancing across the kitchen floor, staring lovingly into each other's eyes.

She watched as her dad spun her mom around before dipping her towards the floor. After he pulled her back up he gave her a sweet kiss, then spun her again, this time toward the stove so she could check on dinner.

Then as she turned her head to look at her husband with a content smile on her face, Teagan raised her camera and snapped a picture. That was the way she had always seen her mom, as a happily in love wife and mother who always had a smile on her face.

Teagan sat the frame back down and wiped at the tears in her eyes as she remembered that day. She had always loved watching her parents when they thought they were alone.

They had always had so much love for each other and she had always prayed she too would have that one day.

As much as she missed her mom, she knew it had to be worse for her dad, losing his soul mate. He had always told her he only had one true love in his life and that was her mom, Lisa.

Just like anytime she thought about her mom, she felt a sense of anger, it wasn't fair. Her mom was an amazing person who never did wrong and never had an enemy but someone killed her.

_'Or was it an animal like the police said? Or was part animal/part human?'_ She thought to herself.

Needing to know exactly what happened, she left the living room and made her way into her dad's office. She knew he kept a file on her mom's murder, although he never allowed her to look at it. He said it would be too painful for her to read.

She walked over to his filing cabinet and pulled the top drawer open as she began to leaf through each file, looking for the one on her mom. After looking in every drawer and not finding it, she moved over to his desk, looking through the two side drawers.

At last she pulled open the top drawer but before she could look inside something on top of his desk caught her eye. She shut the drawer then began to look through the pieces of paper on his desk. There were papers about the Hale house fire as well as notes about Derek.

She knew she had asked her dad weeks ago to look into Derek, back when Avery first started to see him and before she knew he was a werewolf, but she figured he never got around to looking up anything since he never mentioned it to her.

She moved a few of the papers aside then saw the file she was looking for earlier, her mom's file. She lowered her eyebrows in confusion, wondering why he had her mom's file out while looking up stuff about Derek. Was he starting to figure out about werewolves? Was he starting to wonder like her if a werewolf had killed her mom?

Before she could think any further about it, she heard the front door open followed by Aspen barking happily at her dad, who just walked in the door.

She could hear him faintly talking to Aspen, then she heard his cellphone ringing.

As he chatted on the phone, she heard him getting closer and realized he was heading for his office.

Not wanting to get caught snooping she dropped down to the floor and crawled under his desk right as he walked into the room. She peeked out from under the desk and saw him pacing in front of her as he continued to talk on the phone.

"I'm good this evening, sir. How are you?" She heard him say to whoever was on the other end.

"Yes sir I looked over the file you sent me and I have a few theories."

"Mm-hm yeah, that could be one of them but I was thinking something else. Although I hope I am wrong because if I'm right I have a feeling the murders will not stop. The perpetrator will keep killing until all involved parties are dead."

"Yes, I would rather talk about all of this in person, does now work for you?"

"Ok I'll be there in a few minutes Sherriff."

Teagan felt her mouth drop open in shock when she realized her dad had been talking to Sheriff Stilinski. She couldn't help but wonder who her dad thought the murderer was, did he think it was Derek or someone else?

She heard her dad end the call then walk over towards the desk, causing her to freeze, thinking she had been caught but instead she heard him gathering up all the papers she was looking through earlier before he walked out of the room.

Once alone in the room, she stood up from the floor and looked down at the desk, noticing all the papers as well as the file on her mom were gone. She continued to look down, deep in thought until she heard her dad call out her name.

She jumped with a small gasp, wondering how she was going to leave the room without him seeing her.

Luckily she heard him walk to the other side of the house, giving her time to tip toe out of the room and make her way upstairs, she was half-way up the stairs when she heard him heading back toward her.

She turned around and called out to him, pretending like she was just coming down stairs.

"Hey, everything ok?" Teagan asked him, as he stood in front of her.

"Where were you? I've been calling you for a while." Paul asked.

"Sorry, I was in my room listening to music." Teagan lied and felt a little bad for doing so until her dad told a lie of his own.

"I got to head back to the office for a little while. A last minute client needed my advice on a case." Paul said.

"What's the case about?" Teagan asked.

"Nothing big, just a simple divorce case." Paul lied.

"Oh." Teagan said, disappointed that they were both lying to each other, something they had never done before.

"I won't be back to late so why don't I stop and grab some Chinese from that place that you love?" Paul suggested.

"Sounds great Dad." She said back.

Paul stepped forward and kissed the side of her head before saying,"see you soon, Sweet Tea."

"Bye Dad, love you." She said back, as she watched him walk out the front door.

She stood still for a moment, dying to know what her father knew. If he did suspect Derek she was worried that Avery could get caught in the crossfire.

She wished she could follow him but it was too late now, but she did know someone who might know what was going on.

With that thought in mind, she ran up to her room, throwing on a pair of shoes and grabbing her car keys. She was so lost in thought she didn't even realize Aspen had followed her until he jumped into the car when she opened the driver side door.

For a moment she thought about making him stay until she realized with werewolves running around he would be safer with her, then she slide behind the wheel and drove away.

**~()~**

Avery was meeting up with Kate for dinner; she hadn't spoken to Derek since he lost control of his anger and fled.

"How are things going with Derek?" Kate asked her.

"Great." Avery lied with a smile.

She wasn't sure who she could trust at the moment, Kate had been nothing but nice to her. But she did trust Derek, so she was really trying to figure out what was going on.

"You know Avery, I'm glad things aren't awkward between us." Kate said with a friendly smile.

"Why would they be awkward?" Avery asked confused.

"Because of Derek and I dating years ago." Kate said, sounding innocent.

"what?" Avery gasped.

"He didn't tell you?" Kate asked, acting shocked.

"No…" she admitted, a feeling of betrayal rising in her stomach.

"Oh my god, sweetie. I'm so sorry, I just assumed since you were so close he would have told you about us." She said, looking down as she smiled to herself.

"I'm glad you told me." Avery said as her eyes burnt with tears.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked as she reached a hand across the table and lightly squeezed Avery's arm.

"I'm actually feeling a little sick… I'm sorry but I have to go." She said as she scrambled up from the table.

**~()~**

Teagan parked her car in front of the Stilinski's house and turned the car off. She told Aspen to stay as she exited the car and made her way towards the front door as fast as could.

If she would have paused for even a moment, she knew she would have just turned around and got back into her car.

She normally didn't get in the middle of things and she definitely didn't randomly show up at people's doors without calling first.

She knew she and Stiles were not that close, but she knew he was getting closer to Avery and with her worry for Avery taking over she knew she had to do something and that something was get Stiles to do something.

Once in front of the door she reached out to ring the doorbell, then when there was no answer, she reached out to ring it again while beating on the door.

Which was something else she never did but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"You need to call Avery." Teagan said, as soon as Stiles answered the door.

"Teagan?" Stiles asked surprised to see her at his house. He glanced behind her automatically looking for Avery until he remembered what she said, he looked back at her then joked, "You know usually when someone shows up at someone's house they say things like 'hey' and 'how are you?' not bark out orders."

"Hey Stiles. How are you?" Teagan asked sarcastically, as she walked inside his house, then said again. "You need to call Avery."  
"They also usually wait to be invited in or at least ask if they can come in." Stiles pointed out with a laugh.

"Stiles! This is serious." Teagan called out, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Yeah right, I'm sorry." Stiles said sincerely, as he shut the front door. He turned to face her then asked, "so why do we need to call Avery?"

"_We_ are not calling her, _you_ are." Teagan pointed out.

"Ok, but why am I calling?" Stiles asked, as he pulled his cell phone out of his front pants pocket.

"Are you kidding? You don't know what is taking place right now?" Teagan asked surprised. After he shot her a confused look she continued, "Our dads are in a super-secret meeting about Derek and what if your dad goes after him or something? Avery could get caught in the middle. We need to warn her."

"Actually I think it's more about the Hale fire and it's connection to all the murders lately." Stiles said without thinking.

Teagan's eyes widened as she asked, "So you do know about it? What do you know?"

"Not a lot. Just that dad gave your dad a file and asked his opinion about things. Then dad called tonight wanting to know what he thought then your dad said he would rather talk about it in person and asked if he could meet up now." Stiles explained.

"Your dad told you all of that?" Teagan asked surprised, then added, "Dad didn't tell me anything. Matter of fact he lied to me about where he was going."

"Um well actually, dad didn't tell me. I sort of overheard things when I was accidentally listening in on the phone." Stiles carefully admitted, as he ran a hand over his hair.

"How do you accidentally listen in to a conversation?" Teagan asked with a small laugh.  
Stiles stuttered a few times as he tried to think of a good explanation but when he realized there wasn't one, he sighed as he rested his hands on his hips and admitted, "Ok you got me. I didn't accidentally hear it. I've been listening in to dad's calls for years. How do you think I always know everything?"

"I always thought it was because you were smart but now I see it's because you're an eavesdropper." Teagan joked.

"I like to see it as honing my listening skills." Stiles joked back.

Teagan chuckled at his comment as she sat down on the edge of the couch with a sigh. She ran a hand through her hair as a bubble of laughter erupted from her mouth.

Stiles raised his eyebrows as he looked over at her confused as she continued to giggle. He knew he wasn't that funny so he couldn't help but wonder why the girl was cracking up right in front of him.

"Are you ok?" Stiles asked cautiously, as he sat down beside her.

Teagan shook her head as she glanced over at him and began to ramble, "No. No I'm not ok. Things have been so crazy lately. There are werewolves running around killing people like this is some low budget horror movie. Me and Avery were almost killed and now I haven't even talked to her since then because she is dating one of the crazy werewolves running around. I was almost hit by a car the other night. Your dad actually was hit by one. How is he by the way?"

Before he could answer she jumped up and said, "God! I've been so self-absorbed with myself lately I never even thought to ask."

Stiles remained quiet for a few more minutes as he watched her pace across his floor. When he realized she was done, he cleared his throat and stood up as he said, "He's ok. He was sore some the next day, but he'll live."

"Good. That's good Stiles, I'm glad." Teagan said sincerely.

"And don't feel bad for not asking before." Stiles said, then added, "I've been so caught up in the werewolf stuff that I never asked how you were."

She looked down at her scratched up arms, most of the cuts and scrapes were healed by now, then said, "I'm good, thanks."

"How um, how's Avery?" Teagan asked cautiously.

"I'm guessing she's doing about as good as you are. None of this is easy for her either and she really misses you." Stiles said softly.

"She told you that?" Teagan asked.

"She didn't have to. I can see it." Stiles answered.

"How did we all end up here Stiles?" Teagan asked, as she sat back down, then added, "Your best friend is a werewolf. Mine is dating a werewolf. All the deaths and close calls. How do we get past that?"

"We just do." Stiles said, as he sat down beside her.

The two stayed silent for a moment until Stiles looked over at her and said, "You need to forgive her."

Teagan felt tears fill her eyes as she thought about her best friend. She wiped at her eyes then looked at Stiles as she said, "But that's just it, I never blamed her for it, not really. I know deep down she would never put me in danger and she was just as terrified as me but I just... every time I see her with Derek I..." she trailed off.

"Get sick to your stomach?" Stiles guessed. When she shook her head, he added quietly, "so that's not just me then."

She softly smiled at his comment then asked, "You really like her don't you?"

Stiles looked at her surprised, not knowing she had heard him. He nodded his head then said, "But it doesn't matter. It's not like I ever really had a shot and I definitely didn't have one once she saw Derek."

"She'll see you one day, Stiles." Teagan said softly, as she flashed him a smile.

Stiles smiled back, wishing that was true but knew it was better not to get his hopes up.

Feeling a little uncomfortable being so open with her, he cleared his throat then jokingly asked, "Since we talked about my relationship problems does that mean we talk about yours now?"

Teagan chuckled at his comment then stood up as she said, "Trust me, you don't want to hear about my problems."

"Is it about Jackson? Please tell me something embarrassing about him. Like he shaves his legs or hums when he pees?" Stiles asked.

Teagan threw her head back and laughed then said, "I'm not telling you anything like that cause that's not true."

"Just tell me something I can hold over him." Stiles begged her.

Teagan took a few steps toward the front door as she thought of something, then finally said with a shrug, "he watches porn sometimes."

"That's not embarrassing. I do that all the time, sometimes multiple times a day." Stiles said.

"Ew! That is more than I needed to know about you Stiles." Teagan said, as she wrinkled up her nose.

"Sorry." Stiles said, then quickly added, "wait, please don't ever tell Avery that."

"Why? She likes porn too." Teagan said back, as she opened the door to walk out.

Stiles' mouth dropped in surprise at the comment. He didn't think it was possible for porn to be hotter than it was, but just knowing Avery watched it too was enough to drive him over the edge.

Teagan walked out onto the porch then looked back at the silent boy and chuckled at his expression. She didn't think she had ever seen him this quiet before.

"Are you ok there Stiles?" Teagan asked with a laugh.

"Yeah...yeah I-I'm good." Stiles stuttered, as he ran her comment over and over in his head.

"You're fantasizing about Avery watching porn aren't you?" Teagan asked, as she laughed again.

"No of course not." Stiles lied.

"You're a terrible liar." She said, as she shot him a look, letting him know she didn't believe him.

"Well you can't tell a guy something like that and not expect him to get turned on about it." Stiles pointed out.

Teagan laughed at his comment until she heard Aspen barking from the car. She quickly turned around wondering what was upsetting him and fearing the worst until she saw it was just a car driving down the road.

Stiles looked at her, seeing the scared look on her face and felt bad for her. He knew how stressful the whole werewolf thing could be, but at least he had Scott and even Avery to talk to about it, but with her not talking to her best friend she had no one to confide in.

"Well I should get him home, but thanks Stiles." Teagan said to him with a grateful smile.

"If you ever need to talk to anyone about all the werewolf stuff I'm here." Stiles offered, then added with a laugh, "Or if you need someone to bash Jackson with I'm good at that too. I've been president of the 'we hate Jackson' club for years."

Teagan smiled as she nodded her head in thanks before turning around and walking toward her car.

She still didn't know much more about what her dad knew, but she was still glad she talked to Stiles.

In a weird way it was the closest she had felt to Avery in a while, which made her miss her best friend even more.

* * *

**A/N- Sorry it's been a while since my last update, I've been busy and feeling under the weather. But anyways, I thought it was about time to post an update. ^_^ I hope you all liked the chapter.**

**New episode tonight! ^_^ Can't wait to learn more about Derek's past.**

**Don't forget to visit mine and Miss E Charlotte's Polyvore accounts for banners, spoilers and chapter sets that go along with this story. The links are up on our profiles.**

**I want to take a few moments to thank everyone who has added this story to your favorites and/or subscribed for update alerts. It's means so much to us that there's an interest in this story. We've both worked so hard on it, and it's been a blast writing and brainstorming together. **

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and show your support, it means the world to us. ^_^**


	24. Perfectly Lonely

**Perfectly Lonely - Chapter 24**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

"Derek!" Avery yelled as she stormed in the front door of his house.

"Avery." He greeted from the top of the stairs where he was standing, wondering what she could be so mad about.

"Is that what this was all about, you didn't want me talking to Kate because you used to date her?" She asked.

He wasn't sure what to say.

"How could you not tell me that? I had to hear it from her, and she felt terrible for being the one who told me." Avery said.

"She doesn't feel terrible for anything she does." Derek said gruffly as he walked down the stairs.

"What is going on?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.

He was silent.

He was sure if he told her about Kate using him to get to the rest of his family that she wouldn't forgive him; considering her mom who just vising his aunt was also killed in the fire.

He had always blamed himself for the deaths of everyone in the fire.

"You said I was important to you." She said taking a step backwards.

"You know you are." He replied.

"Then you have to start being completely honest with me right now." She demanded.

After a pause he said, "If I tell you, I'll lose you… I can't do that. I've lost everyone else."

"If you don't tell me you're going to lose me anyways, so start talking." She demanded.

"Avery." He said as he shook his head back and forth.

Sighing she turned around to leave but he stopped her.

She listened with tears in her eyes about how Kate had tricked him into falling for her, and how she used him to get to the rest of his family.

He explained that the fire was Kate's fault.

By the time he was done she had mascara laced tears running down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice cracked as she spoke.

"Because I knew you'd hate me for it." He said.

She wiped her cheeks, but it was useless as more tears started to fall.

He heard her heart racing, as she looked around the house remembering she was in the very place where her mom took her last breath.

"I don't even know what to say." She admitted.

He watched her with a pained expression as she continued to break down in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Avery." He said, his voice much softer than usual as he took a few steps forward.

She backed up and shook her head back forth.

"I have to go." She managed to say as she turned and ran from the house.

He stood in the doorway and swallowed hard as he watched her disappear into the woods.

Avery was the first person he'd truly cared about in a long time. It seemed that everything he cared for always got taken away in one way or another.

He'd hoped she'd be able to forgive him and they could move past it, but she'd reacted just like he expected but even though he knew it was coming; it didn't hurt any less.

**~()~**

Avery pulled her long, wavy blond hair up in a messy bun as she stood outside of her parent's bedroom.

Slowly she turned the handle and opened the door.

She looked around at the light green walls and the brown and green comforter on the bed.

It looked exactly the same as it did 6 years before when her mom died.

Avery's dad had slept in the downstairs guest bedroom ever since and Avery had only been in there a few times since.

They never really spoke about her mom, it was too painful for her dad and Avery tried not to think about her.

Walking past the dresser tears burnt her eyes as she picked up a bottle of her mom's perfume and smelled it.

Sitting the glass bottle back down with a small clank she walked over to the large walk in closet.

She ran her fingers over her mom's clothes; she'd always dressed in bright, cheerful colors; Avery dressed the complete opposite, mostly black all the time.

Pulling a photo album off of a top shelf she sat down on the floor next to the bed and took a deep breath as she wiped the dust off the cover and opened it.

More tears fell down her cheeks as she saw pictures of her parents and of herself when she was younger.

She let her mind wander as she wondered how different her life could have been if she'd never lost her mom.

Normally she'd never let herself think such thoughts, no amount of dreaming would bring her back.

She smiled and cried at the same time as she looked at another picture of her mom and dad on their wedding day.

Her mind flashed back to the hurt expression on Derek's face when she said she needed to leave.

She pulled every other photo album from the closet and looked at them until she ended up falling asleep on the dusty comforter over her parent's old bed.

Waking up much later in the night she gathered the photo albums and put them back in their place.

She kept thinking about Derek, this had been the longest they'd went without seeing or speaking to each other since their first actual date.

Pulling her jacket on she left and headed to his house, she let herself in the door and looked around before slowly walking up the stairs.

Pushing the door open to the room he'd been sleeping in she saw him standing by the broken window, staring out of the shattered glass.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he turned and faced her.

"I missed you, a lot actually." She said with a small smile.

"You've forgiven me?" He questioned with raised eyebrows.

"I can't." She responded.

He nodded and his jaw tensed as he turned and looked back out of the window.

"I can't forgive you because you have nothing to be sorry for. Well, other than not being honest about this with me." She corrected as she walked farther into the room.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Your family… my mom, none of their deaths are on you. Don't you get that? It wasn't your fault, you didn't set the fire." She said, her tone strong.

"I led hunters right to them." He reminded her.

"You fell for Kate's act. She's lying, manipulative, and a calculated, cold bitch. She's a psychopath, emotionless." Avery continued, as rage coursed through her veins when she thought of Allison's aunt.

He didn't respond.

Crossing the room she stood and faced him in the soft glow of the moonlight.

"I don't blame you, for any of it." She said.

He avoided her eyes and looked back out of the window at the woods.

Reaching out she took his hand and held it over her heart, he looked at her.

"You can hear my heart to tell when I'm lying and you can feel it too. I don't blame you for any of this." She repeated.

She was telling him the truth.

Pulling his hand back he said, "Yeah, well you should."

After a few moments, she reached down and took his hand again lacing her fingers with his.

He looked down to their connected hands and then to her face as she leaned up and kissed him.

Their mouths moved together, slowly and sensually as he let go of her hand and held onto the side of her face deepening the kiss.

**~(A few days later)~**

Avery said bye to Lydia and was standing outside of the school waiting for Derek to pick her up since he'd dropped her off that morning.

She looked around and spotted Teagan as she walked out of the school.

Avery started to raise her hand, but then stopped. She wasn't sure how to react to seeing her best friend now.

Teagan took a deep breath as she looked at Avery, her dad had said that Avery came by to check on her.

Not exactly sure what she'd say to her, Teagan started walking towards her. She'd missed her best friend so much and her dad told her Avery was really upset over their not speaking to each other.

Avery smiled happy that they were finally going to get the chance to talk, but then Teagan's face changed and abruptly stopped as she looked past her friend.

Confused at first, Avery looked over her shoulder to see Derek had pulled up and was waiting on her.

Teagan's breathing grew shallow as her mind flashed back to the night at the video stor, in all honesty Derek had saved her life.

But now she couldn't look at him without seeing his morphed face, glowing eyes and fangs. She hoped she'd never have to see him like that again.

Then a chill ran down her spin at the thought that Avery had seen him like that too, and was still dating, kissing and doing other intimate things with him.

Teagan raised her hand and gave Avery a small wave before quickly turning and heading back to school.

Avery sighed and got into the car with Derek.

Teagan looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened as saw she them kissing.

"Don't tell me Avery's back with that dick." Jackson growled as he also saw the heated kiss before they drove away.

"I think there are some things at work here that we don't quite understand." Teagan said softly.

When Jackson saw Derek, it made him see red. He'd bruised Teagan and cut up the back of his neck, not to mention Jackson still thought Derek was a drug dealer.

"He's dangerous, Teagan. He hurt the both of us, and for all we know he could be hurting Avery too. If I get the chance, I'm gonna kick his ass." Jackson growled.

"I think he wants to keep Avery safe." Teagan admitted.

Jackson looked at her confused.

"What?" He asked.

"I just don't think it's our place to get involved. And you promised me you wouldn't go after him because of what happened in the hallway." Teagan reminded him.

"He hurt you." Jackson reminded her, his nostrils slightly flared in anger.

**~()~**

"You really think he'll be able to communicate this time?" Avery asked as she walked into the hospital where Derek's Uncle Peter had been since the fire.

"I think it's our last shot." Derek said as he spoke quietly so only she could hear him.

Avery paused as they passed a sign that said 'surgery' with an arrow pointing down a different hallway.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked her as he turned and looked at her.

"Wouldn't it just be awesome to watch a massive surgery performed? Just like, see them open somebody up right in front of you?" She asked eyeing a set of double doors at the end of the hallway.

Sighing heavily and rolling his eyes Derek said, "Come on." As he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his uncles room.

He looked down and smiled to himself as he heard the change in her heartbeat the second his skin touched hers.

Once they got outside of his uncles room, Avery stopped again. "Maybe I should just go hang around the surgery wing."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"I don't like nursing homes." She said quietly.

"This is a hospital, not a nursing home." He argued.

"It's a long-term care facility… pretty much the same thing." She said as her grip tightened on his hand a little bit.

"When I was a kid, my mom took me to visit my grandma in a nursing home and I've never been the same since." She tried to explain her phobia.

"Come on," he repeated as he pulled her into the room with him.

She nodded and walked into the room as she sat down on the side of the bed with Derek, she looked down to their still intertwined fingers.

Derek took a deep breath, and she could feel his grip tighten on her hand slightly as he looked at his uncle Pete, who had been badly burnt and pretty much unresponsive since the fire.

He was the only one from Derek's family who'd made it out.

"I need your help." Derek said, to his uncle.

Avery looked over at him and realized she was the only person he'd ever take into a situation like this, where he might come off as vulnerable.

She truly was getting to see a side of Derek Hale that hardly anyone else would even imagined existed.

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as he continued to talk to his uncle.

Derek explained how someone had killed his sister Laura and was now the alpha.

"Is it one of us? Did someone else make it out of the fire?" Derek asked him.

Avery's heart rate increased a little as she thought about her mom dying in that fire.

"Just give me some kind of sign. Blink, raise a finger… anything." Derek pleaded.

When Peter didn't respond Derek let go of Avery's hand and leaned forward holding onto the handles of the wheelchair and yelled "Say something!" into his uncles face.

"Let him go!" A female nurse said as she walked in the room.

Avery jumped up from where she was sitting startled and Derek turned around.

"You think after 6 years yelling is really going to get a response?" She asked them angrily.

"You got a better method?" Derek snapped at her.

"Patience, just give him some time and he'll respond." She explained.

"I don't have any more time." Derek angrily said, his voice almost in a growl.

"Maybe a few more minutes…" Avery started to say, as she looked at Peter. For some reason she felt like he was able to hear them.

"We're leaving." Derek said gruffly to her as he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room.

She winced in pain at the tight hold he had on her, "Derek!" She yelled once they got out in the hallway.

"We don't have more time, Avery." He said, still angered by everything that was going on.

"My hand is smaller than and not as strong as yours." She pointed out.

He looked down and let go of her.

Looking down she moved her hand and made a fist a few times.

Derek frowned at her bright red skin, he had been so mad he really didn't even remember grabbing her hand to pull her from the room.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her.

"Yeah I'm fine." She said.

Walking over to his other side, she held out her uninjured hand for him to take, he looked at it and then to her face, before he put a hand on her lower back and led her out of the hospital.

As they neared his car he stopped when he saw a folded up paper under the windshield wiper.

"What is that?" Avery asked as she opened the passenger door of his car.

He opened the paper and looked all around them.

"Derek?" She asked.

"Get in the car." He ordered.

Once they were both in the car he handed her the paper as he started his car and sped off, tires screeching from how fast he whipped around a curve.

"It's a deer." She said looking at the paper.

"See the spiral on it's side?" He asked.

"Yeah…" She said.

"It's a symbol for revenge." He told her

She couldn't help but smile, it wasn't that what he'd said was good news; it wasn't. She smiled because he was really starting to trust her.

Once they pulled up outside of the animal clinic Avery opened her door.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked her

"Coming with you." She said.

"I need you to stay in the car." He said.

"But I want to come with you." She said her eyebrows pushed together in frustration.

Seeing the look on his face she sighed and pulled her door shut.

"I thought you were really starting to trust me." She said with a frown.

"I trust you more than anyone else." He said.

Before she could argue anymore, he took her chin and pulled her face to his, as he pressed a deep kiss to her lips.

Pulling back he said, "I'm trying to protect you, please. Stay here."

She nodded and watched as he got out of the car and walked inside.

After sitting there for a few minutes she glanced around the inside of his car, her eyes stopping on his leather jacket laying in the backseat.

Smiling she pulled it on over her thin, black zip up sweatshirt she had on over a skin tight dark purple V-neck tank top.

She hugged the coat against herself, smiling when she caught a faint whiff of his cologne from it.

Looking over she saw Scott dropping his bike by the side of the building.

"Scott." She said as she opened her door.

"Avery… what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Waiting on Derek." She responded.

"I can't really talk, I'm really late for work." He said.

Leaning over she pulled the keys from the ignition and got out of the car locking it up with the key fob.

"Sure I'll come inside with you." She said, smiling.

"Uhh, okay…" Scott said confused.

She said it incase Derek was listening to them he might think she came inside because Scott asked her.

She tucked his keys inside of his leather jacket she was wearing and followed Scott into the building.

Heading to a back room they saw Derek with Dr. Deaton, the veterinarian tied to a chair and bleeding from his face.

"What are you doing? Are you nuts?" Scott yelled.

Avery stared wide eyed at him.

Raising his fist Derek hit Dr. Deaton knocking him unconscious.

"If he's awake he can heal himself, but not if he unconscious." Derek explained, as he then shot Avery an angry look for coming inside.

"Well, one thing's for sure; the next time you tell me to wait in the car, I'm not listening." She said.

"Why are you doing this?" Scott yelled motioning towards his unconscious boss.

"You want to know what the spiral means Scott? It's our sign for a vendetta, for revenge. It means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied!" Derek yelled at him.

"You think he's the alpha?" Scott finally pieced together.

"We're about to find out." Derek said as his claws came out and he started to move his hand towards Dr. Deaton.

Scott's face shifted into his werewolf form and he grabbed Derek's arm, keeping him from killing him.

Scott let out a deep growl and pushed Derek's arm back before saying "Hit him again and then you'll see me get angry."

Avery raised her eyebrows and looked between them as she joked, "So, I'm guessing this has the same erotic value as a cat fight would to you."

Scott kept his gaze heavy on Derek, and Derek looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes.

"It was a joke, just trying to lighten the mood…" Avery breathed out as she looked around the room.

Scott told them to take Dr. Deaton and meet him in the school parking lot.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for reading! I really hope you all liked the chapter. ^_^**

**Miss E Charlotte and I both recently started new Teen Wolf stories, if you haven't yet... you should check them out. Don't worry we're not about to stop writing this story though. We're still having so much fun writing and working together on this.**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're still reading. We both really appreciate your support so much! ^.^**


	25. Night School

**Night School - Chapter 25**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Later that afternoon Teagan was laid flat on her back on the bed as Jackson lay on top of her, kissing on her neck.

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on him and the things he was doing to her body but her mind was a million miles away.

Between all the werewolf stuff, worrying and missing Avery, as well as her confusion and thoughts it was hard to be in the moment.

Jackson raised his head and looked up at her when he realized she wasn't responding to his touch.

He pushed a lock of hair from her face as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Teagan lied.

He shot her a look, letting her know he didn't believe her answer.

She looked at him for a moment, caressing the side of his face before she leaned forward to give him a kiss, trying to show him nothing was wrong.

After kissing for a few more minutes he kissed down the side of her neck again, nibbling the spot that always turned her on but when she didn't make a sound, he raised up and said, "Ok now I know something is wrong. What's bothering you?"

"I just got a lot on my mind." Teagan answered vaguely.

"Like what?" Jackson asked.

She shook her head, not planning on telling him. She couldn't tell him about the werewolf stuff or he would think she was crazy. She couldn't tell him about missing Avery, he would just tell her to talk her then if she was missing her so much but it was more complicated than that.

And she definitely couldn't tell him about the confusing thoughts about Isaac, but there was one thing he could tell her, something that had been bothering her the last couple of days.

"What do you see in me?" Teagan asked him softly.

"What? Is this some kind of trick question?" Jackson asked confused.

"No I'm serious. What do you see in me? Why are you with me?" Teagan asked.

"Cause your incredibly sexy. You're easily the hottest girl in town." Jackson said with a smile, as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"Jackson I'm serious." Teagan said, as she pushed him back a little to break the kiss.

"I am too. You're hot as hell T, that's why I love you." Jackson said back with a grin.

"So you only love me cause I'm hot?" Teagan asked.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Jackson said with a sigh, as he sat up the mood ruined.

"Then what do you mean? Do you really love me for me or is it because I'm popular and pretty?" Teagan asked.

"Where the hell is this coming from? If I was only dating someone for popularity reasons then why did I break up with Lydia for you?" Jackson pointed out.

"I don't know, why did you do that?" Teagan pushed.

"Because I love you." Jackson said, starting to feel annoyed. He stood up from the bed then said, "I don't know what you want me to say here T. You know how I feel about you or at least you should. I've told you a million times that I love you and I've been in love with you since you told me I sucked and pushed me down on the playground."

Teagan looked up at him and chuckled as she remember exactly what he was talking about.

"I was six when I did that. You remember that?" She asked.

"Of course I remember. Then I remembered after that you held out your hand to help me up, kissed my cheek then ran off laughing." Jackson added with a smile, as he remembered that day years ago.

"Avery had dared me to kiss you but when I got over there I freaked out, hence the shoving." Teagan said with a laugh.

Jackson sat back down beside her and reached up to lay a hand on the side of her face as he said, "You've been surprising me ever since that day. You're unpredictable, fearless and strong."

She shook her head as her vision blurred then she said, "I'm not fearless or strong, or at least I haven't felt that way lately. I've been so terrified recently Jackson."

"Of what?" He asked her confused.

"Everything." She whispered.

"I know that animal attack really freaked you out, but there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. The mountain lion was killed..." Jackson said, as he wiped the tears from her face, then added, "But besides that, I'm not going to let anything hurt you again."

She nodded her head as she reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt, bringing him closer as she rested her forehead against his.

She closed her eyes and softly sighed when he wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her body against his.

Teagan wasn't sure how long he had been holding her when she heard her cellphone beep, letting her know she had a new message.

She pulled back for a moment and grabbed her phone from the table beside her bed.

She looked down at the unknown number and lowered her eyebrows in confusion, wondering who it was.

She almost deleted the message but at the last minute clicked on it.

She gasped in surprise when she read the small but to the point message from Avery. _'I need u... come quick... I'm at school -A'_

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked, when he heard her gasp.

She handed him the phone to show him the message as she stood up and slipped on a pair of shoes.

Jackson read the message then looked up at her confused, not understanding what the problem was.

"What are you doing?" Jackson asked, as she grabbed her car keys.

"You saw the text, Avery needs me." Teagan said, as she pointed to her phone.

"You two haven't talked in days and now she sends you a cryptic text and you're rushing off to her?" Jackson asked, as he stood up.

"She needs help Jackson." Teagan argued.

"You don't know that." Jackson said back.

"She said 'I need you'." Teagan pointed out.

"That doesn't mean she needs help. You know how Avery is, she's always overdramatic." Jackson said.

"No she isn't Jackson, you don't know her like I do. She's my best friend and she needs me and I'm going." Teagan snapped cause of her worry for Avery.

"Ok, ok. Calm down." Jackson said, as he walked toward her, then said, "If you really think she needs help then ok, we'll go cause I'm not letting you go alone."  
She nodded her head in thanks as she rushed forward to give him a quick kiss.

She called out to Aspen, telling him to stay, as she and Jackson walked out of her house, a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.

**~()~**

"What's Scott's plan?" Derek asked as he drove them to the school.

Looking in the backseat where Dr. Deaton was still unconscious and bound with duct tape over his mouth, Avery said "Besides keeping his boss alive, I'm not too sure."

"You told me to wait in the car because you were going to kill him." Avery said looking over at him.

"I went in just to question him at first; but then he was lying about his answers." Derek admitted.

"So you decided to kill him just in case he's the alpha?" She asked.

"What other reason could he have to lie about anything I asked him?" Derek pointed out.

Avery shrugged.

A few minutes later Derek pulled into the empty school parking lost illuminated by street lights.

"Where's my boss?" Scott asked as he and Stiles approached the car.

Avery got out, "He's fine, he's still knocked out though." She said as she pointed to the back seat.

Stiles leaned down and looked in the window, "Well, he looks comfortable." He said sarcastically.

"We'll be right back." Scott said as he and stiles turned to go into the school.

"Hey, hey! Where are you going?" Derek yelled after them.

"You said I was linked with the alpha. I'm gonna see if you're right." Scott said.

Avery and Derek watched as Scott and Stiles used bolt cutters to cut the chain holding the door together and then they went into the school.

Derek leaned against the back of Stiles jeep and sighed, he didn't know what Scott and stiles were planning but with it being their idea he wasn't too hopeful.

Walking up to him Avery faced him as she leaned her body against his, and rested her arms on shoulders, locking her wrists behind his neck.

"My dad left for vacation this morning, so now we have the whole house to ourselves, and we don't have to hide out in my room." She said as she leaned in and kissed him.

Pulling her face closer to his, her soft blonde hair fell between his fingers, before he ran his hands back down her sides.

Both of them were still in disbelief at the feeling they got around one another.

Avery let out a small laugh against his parted lips as Derek moved his hands behind her and grabbed onto her butt, pulling her body even tighter against his.

He let out a low groan as the movement caused friction between their clothed lower bodies.

Even though it had gotten a lot colder now that it was dark outside, her temperature rose and her body ached for him.

Keeping his hold firm on her sides, he spun them until she was pinned against the back of the jeep.

She let out a small gasp and her body arched against his as he focused his searing hot mouth on the side of her neck.

Slowly he kissed his way back up until their mouths were joined again.

Neither of them were sure how much time had passed while they were tangled up in each other's arm, when the moment was interrupted by a loud, slightly high pitched howling noise that played over the schools intercom system.

They broke their kiss and stared at each other for a few seconds while the sound continued.

"You've got be kidding me." Derek said in disbelief as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Is that Scott? He sounds like… a cat being strangled." She said as the noise finally stopped.

Leaning her head forward she rested her forehead on his shoulder and quietly laughed.

A few moments later Scott made another attempt, but this time it worked and the howl was deeper.

"Hmm." She hummed impressed as she raised her head from Derek's shoulder.

"What the hell are they thinking?" Derek mumbled as they waited for Scott and stiles to come back outside.

"I'm going to kill both of you…what the hell was that? What the hell are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?" Derek yelled as he saw the two teenagers.

"Sorry, I didn't know it would be that loud." Scott said smiling to himself.

"Yeah it was loud and it was awesome!" Stiles said excitedly.

"Not the first attempt, the first one sounded like a cat being choked to death." Avery pointed out.

"That is exactly the same thing I said." Stiles replied smiling at her.

She smiled back at him.

"Wait… what did you do with him?" Scott asked as he saw his boss was gone.

Avery moved and stood beside Scott and Stiles as she looked in Derek's car.

After looking in his back seat, Derek faced the group of teens.

"I didn't do anything." Derek told them.

"Right." Scott said angrily.

"We didn't touch your boss, Scott." Avery agreed.

"How did he just slip past you then? You were both were out here." Scott told them.

Avery glanced down to the ground, as Stiles looked over at her.

"Yeah, that's the problem. We should have separated them." Stiles breathed out as he saw the back of Avery's hair was a little messed up.

Avery rolled her eyes and looked back to Derek, they all heard a low growl.

"Oh my god…" She breathed out.

Before they really had time to respond, the alpha got behind Derek and put his hand through his back.

Derek coughed and blood started to pour from his mouth, as the alpha lifted him a few feet of off the ground.

"No!" Avery screamed as tears poured down her face, when the alpha raised him even higher and more blood ran from Derek's mouth.

"Come on." Stiles said as he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her with them.

"Derek!" she screamed, as the alpha threw him against the side of the building.

Stiles dragged her along with him inside of the school.

The last thing she saw was Derek's limp body bounce off the wall and fall to the ground with a thud.

**~()~**

Avery stood in the classroom they were hiding in as Scott and Stiles tried to figure out a plan.

Her light brown eyes moved around rapidly as she looked out of the window hoping to see Derek.

"Derek, if you can hear me… just get yourself out of here. I'm fine, just get yourself out of here." She said softly as she placed a hand on the window and looked outside.

"Is she talking to herself now?" Stiles asked Scott as he heard Avery talking quietly but couldn't make out what she was saying.

"She's whispering to Derek." Scott said back as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Derek's dead." Stiles said as quietly as possible.

"No, Derek's not dead. He can't be dead." Scott argued.

"Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay? That doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury." Stiles argued back.

Avery slowly turned and stared at them.

"No, he can't be dead." Scott argued.

"He's dead!" Stiles loudly exclaimed back.

Scott could hear Avery's heartbeat change and he looked back over his shoulder at her.

Stiles sighed when he realized he'd been yelling about Derek being dead.

He looked up at her, she was leaned against the windows with her arms wrapped around herself, tears running down her cheeks.

"Well… maybe he's not completely dead…" Stiles tried to say.

"What do we do?" Scott asked his best friend, panicked.

"Okay… we get to my jeep and we get out of here." Stiles said.

"We can't." Avery said through her tears.

"We'll take Derek with us." Scott assured her.

"No you idiot, the alpha broke his jeep. We're not going anywhere." She angrily snapped, before she slid down the wall crying harder.

Scott and Stiles ran over to the windows and saw the hood had been badly bent.

"What the hell happened?" Stiles breathed out.

Avery closed her eyes and all she could see was the alpha putting his hand through Derek's back as so much blood pouring from his mouth.

She wanted the image out of her head but it was all she could see.

She whimpered and ran her fingers through her hair, roughly pulling on the roots of her hair and shaking her head as she just kept seeing the same scene over and over again.

"Avery!" Stiles yelled as he dropped to the floor in front of her.

"Stop it." He said as he grabbed her wrists and held them down.

"I can't lose him…" She breathed out.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something but didn't get to when the alpha threw the battery to the jeep through one of the window into the classroom.

"We have to move." Stiles told them.

Scott looked outside and didn't see the alpha.

"Now, we need to go now." Scott told them.

"Come on." Stiles said softly to Avery.

"No, you guys go on." She said as she wiped her cheeks, but more tears kept falling.

"You're coming with us." Scott said to her.

She shook her head back and forth.

Stiles reached forward and took her face in his hands as he made her face him, "If I have to pick you up and carry you, I will. But you're not just going to sit here and wait for that thing to find you."

"You're delusional if you think we're actually going to make it out of here." She said, her tone dry.

"We still have to try." Stiles argued.

She shook her head back and forth, every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Derek getting attacked.

"I'm not leaving you here. Do you hear me? I… I wouldn't know what to do it I lost you." He said.

She looked up at him her sad eyes locking with his.

"Come on." He said as he stood up and extended his hand to her, slowly she placed a shaky hand in his and he pulled her to her feet.

For the next hour the trio made their way through the school, running and hiding from the alpha.

The janitor who was in the building had been killed by the alpha.

At one point they thought they had him trapped in a room, but he escaped through the ceiling.

Avery was managing to hold it together pretty well as long as she tried to focus on running for her life and not think about Derek.

They were walking down a hallway when Scott stopped them, "I hear a phone." He said.

"What?" stiles asked him.

"Allison's phone… give me your phone!" Scott demanded to Stiles.

After calling Allison they agreed to all meet up in the lobby of the school.

Allison explained that she had gotten a text from a number claiming to be from Scott telling her to come to the school.

As they were talking, Teagan and Jackson walked in.

"A, thank god! We've been all over the school." Teagan exclaimed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Avery asked wide eyed.

"You sent her a text!" Jackson exclaimed, irritated that Avery had ruined yet another moment between them.

"No I didn't." She said.

Teagan took her phone out and showed her the text.

"That's not even my number, T." Avery pointed out.

"I thought maybe you borrowed someone else's phone." Teagan explained.

"What the hell are you all doing here anyways?" Jackson asked looking around at everyone.

Before anyone really had a chance to respond, they heard thudding in the ceiling above them.

Reaching out Teagan grabbed Avery's arm as she shakily whispered, "What's going on?"

Avery looked back at her swallowing hard as she shook her head back and forth.

As the noises got closer to right above them, Scott grabbed Allison's hand and yelled, "Run!"

The group of teens ran until they reached the lunchroom.

Everyone started moving tables and chairs to block the door, except for Stiles who looked over to see Avery peering out of the large windows lining the wall.

She was still secretly hoping to get a glimpse of Derek, or see his car was gone or anything to make her feel a little better.

Stiles tried to get the group of panicked teens to listen to him, but they just kept piling up more tables and chairs in front of the door.

"Hello!" He finally shouted at the group.

Teagan and Allison sat the large stack of chairs they were carrying on top of the milk cooler in front of the door and turned around wide eyed.

"Okay, nice work. Really, beautiful job everyone. Now, what should be do about the 20-foot wall of windows?" He yelled sarcastically as he motioned to the windows.

Teagan saw Avery with her back to everyone starring out of the windows, it was almost as if she wasn't even really in the room with them.

The rest of the group talked and argued over whether they should call the cops while Teagan walked up to her best friend.

"We're running from that thing that was at the video store aren't we?" Teagan quietly asked.

Avery's eyes scanned the dark and empty school yard.

"A, what are you looking at?" Teagan asked as she too looked out of the windows.

"I love nighttime, you know that." Avery said in a quiet whisper.

"A… is the thing from the video store after us again, isn't it?" she repeated her earlier question.

Looking over at her, Teagan could see tears running down Avery's face.

"What is it?" Teagan asked.

"It's an alpha werewolf…" Avery said.

"No, I mean what's wrong with you?" She clarified.

In an instant it didn't matter that they hadn't spoken in weeks, all that mattered was her friend.

"I saw it, T. We were outside and the alpha snuck up behind him and it shoved it's hand through his back. And there was blood… so much blood it just, sprayed and poured from his mouth and it threw him, but he wasn't moving. He wasn't moving." She said through her tears as she wrapped her arms around herself and continued to cry.

Teagan took a few moments to process what Avery had said through her sobs and gasps for air.

She hadn't seen Avery this upset since she lost her mom.

"Who wasn't moving?" Teagan asked confused.

"Derek." Avery whispered.

Teagan's eyes widened, she still wasn't that comfortable with him or the idea of her best friend dating him. But he'd saved their lives before and it was obvious he cared a lot about Avery.

"I'm so sorry." Teagan finally was able to say, her voice hoarse as her own eyes filled with tears as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her friend.

Seeing Avery almost hysterical and not understanding what was going on, Allison yelled "What's happening!"

She had been trying to get Scott to tell her what was going on for a while now.

"Somebody killed the janitor." Stiles admitted to them.

Allison continued to yell at Scott demanding to know what was going on.

"I… I don't know, but if we go out there it's gonna kill us too." Scott said, unsure of how to explain anything to them.

"Who the hell is trying to kill us?" Jackson yelled at him, his voice gruff.

"It's Derek. It's Derek Hale." Scott lied.

"What?" Avery gasped as she stared at him as her mouth hung open.

Teagan's arms tightened around her friend.

Stiles looked over at Avery before he stared at Scott in shock.

"Derek killed the school's janitor?" Jackson asked confused.

"Are you sure?" Allison said with terror in her eyes.

"I saw him." Scott said.

"The mountain lion…" Allison started to argue.

"He killed them, all of them starting with own sister." Scott furthered his lie to avoid having to tell Allison the truth.

"I knew it." Jackson growled under his breath.

He knew the guy was bad news since the moment he saw him, his body tensed as he thought of how close he could have come to losing Teagan.

Avery pulled herself from Teagan's arms and faced her, "It wasn't him." She defended.

"I know." Teagan said.

Avery walked over next to Stiles who gave her a sympathetic look, he was just as shocked that Scott threw Derek under a bus like that.

Teagan walked over and joined the group, Jackson quickly grabbed her hand and held on tight. She had gotten hurt too many times lately and he wasn't about to let her get hurt again.

He didn't need Lahey or the police, or anyone to else to protect his girl. All she needed was his protection.

Stiles called his dad, but got his voicemail. As he was leaving a message the alpha tried to break the door down to the cafeteria.

Jackson kept his hold tight on Teagan as they backed away from the door in fear.

"The kitchen, there's a door out of the kitchen that leads to the stairwell." Stiles told them as the group continued to back away from the door.

He looked at Avery for a few moments before he reached down and took her hand.

Their eyes locked as she looked over at him.

As the alpha hit the door again, they all took off running through the kitchen.

Once they made it upstairs, they locked themselves in the chemistry room.

Avery stood by the windows looking out again; she didn't want to face the group. Every time she looked at Jackson his jaw tensed in anger like he blamed her for being in this mess.

Allison kept avoiding her eyes, it was obvious Allison was wondering why Avery didn't listen to them and continued to go out with Derek.

Scott kept avoiding her because he knew it was wrong of him to say Derek was the one doing the murders.

Scott and Stiles came up with a plan that Scott would go get the keys off the janitors corpse, then they could unlock the door that led up to the roof. From there they could climb down the fire escape and make a break for it.

Allison begged Scott not to go, but he left anyways.

With Jackson grabbing the ingredients for her, Teagan used the chemicals in the lab to make a self-igniting Molotov cocktail.

Once Scott was out of the room they locked the door behind him.

Allison climbed up on one the of the tables and rocked back and forth, afraid that Scott might not make it back to them.

"Teagan, come on." Jackson said with irritation in his voice.

Avery looked over to see Teagan pull her hand away from his and start towards her.

Teagan hugged her best friend again, she felt so bad for Avery and wasn't sure how to help her.

Over Teagan's shoulder, Avery watched as Jackson shook his head back and forth.

He fully blamed Avery for everything that was happening, all because she couldn't stay away from Derek Hale.

Stiles leaned against the chalkboard and watched them.

A little while later there was a low growl that sounded throughout the entire school, causing the lockers to rattle.

Then Scott came upstairs and locked them in the classroom.

Allison and Jackson thought he'd locked them in there to keep them from getting out, but he'd really done it protect his friends from himself. The alpha was trying to make him kill his friends.

Once the police showed up at the school, they were all able to go outside and the alpha left.

Avery leaned against a patrol car as she waited for an officer to take her home.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for reading. ^_^ I hope you guys all liked the chapter.**

**We always look forward to hearing from our readers. ^_~ Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're still reading and liking the story.**


	26. Three Words

**Three Words - Chapter 26**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

After Teagan and Jackson answered all the cops questions, he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. He glanced over her head and saw a withdrawn Avery still leaning against a cop car and felt anger over take him.

He knew that Derek guy was bad news, just like he knew it was a bad idea to come to the school after Teagan received the text. Twice now he had almost lost Teagan because Avery put her in danger and he was tired of it.

When she heard his breathing pick up in anger, Teagan raised her head from his chest then turned her head to see what he was looking at. But when she saw her best friend trying to hold a sob back she felt her heart break for her.

She took a step back from Jackson's arms as she said, "I should go check on her. She's really upset."

"Good." Jackson snapped, then added, "this is all her fault."

"Don't say that. None of this is her fault." Teagan argued.

"This is twice you have almost died because of her." Jackson said, as he held up two fingers to get his point across.

Teagan shook her head as she said, "She didn't do anything, Jackson."

"True, she didn't technically do anything, but she was screwing the guy who did. We warned her about him, but she didn't listen cause she keeps hoping if she dates the resident bad boy then daddy dearest will finally notice her. Her recklessness is going to get us all killed and honestly I think she gets off on that. She enjoys all the attention, good or bad." Jackson said angrily.

"You don't know what the hell you are talking about. I can't believe you have known Avery all your life, yet you know nothing about her. She has got one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen and always goes above and beyond for her friends." Teagan argued, then added, "She has always been there for me and right now, I'm going to go be there for her; you can either come with me or just go home."

"Fine. But the next time she puts you in a life or death situation, don't expect me to come save your ass." Jackson snapped, as he turned around and walked toward his car.

He didn't really mean what he said, but he was just to pissed off at the moment to go back to her and apologize. Right now he just needed to get away and cool off.

Teagan wrapped her arms around herself and felt tears in her eyes as she watched him drive away. She couldn't believe he actually left but she wasn't going to think about that right now, right now she needed to be there for Avery.

She walked over to the blonde and wrapped an arm around her back, taking her by surprise, as she hugged her and said softly, "I'm sorry about Derek."

"I-I ju-just can't b-believe he-s g-gone." Avery choked out in between sobs.

"I'm sorry Avery, I'm so sorry." Teagan whispered, as she squeezed her tight.

Avery cried on her shoulder, she usually didn't break down in public but she was too heartbroken to care right now.

She couldn't believe just a few hours earlier she was in Derek's arms, kissing him and now he was gone. She had a few officers offer to take her home but she didn't want to move until they at least found Derek's body. If they couldn't find him, then maybe there was hope.

Teagan held on to her as she cried then when something caught her eye she turned her head to see Allison and Scott talking. From the looks of it, it seemed like they were breaking up and she couldn't help but wonder if that is what happened between her and Jackson a minute ago.

Were they breaking up or was it just a small fight and they would make up later? As much as she hated to admit it, she honestly didn't know which one she was hoping for right now.

Feeling all cried out, at least for now, Avery lifted her head from Teagan's shoulders as she glanced around and wiped the tears from her face.

When she realized someone was missing she looked over at Teagan and asked with a confused expression, "Where's Jackson? I figured he would be stuck to you like glue right now."

"He went home." Teagan answered softly, as she glanced down at the ground.

"Why? What's going on?" Avery asked.

"Nothing, everything is great." Teagan lied with a forced smile.

Avery, not buying it, opened her mouth to say something until Stiles walked over to them, asking them if they were ok.

Stiles looked over at Avery, planning to apologize to her for Scott throwing Derek under the bus but before he could say a word, she held up her hand to stop him.

"Have they found Derek's body yet?" Avery asked.

"They've found _a_ body. They just don't know if it's Derek's or the janitor's." Stiles answered.

"If it's not Derek's then that means..."

"The alpha took him?" Teagan questioned, interrupting Avery.

"No. It means he's alive." Avery said.

Teagan and Stiles looked at each other with matching concerned expressions on their faces. It was clear to see that Avery was in denial.  
Teagan wrapped an arm around Avery's shoulders for comfort, as Stiles took a step towards her and said carefully, "Avery, I'm sorry, but Derek's dead."

Avery shook her head as she said quietly for only them to hear, "He's a werewolf. He can heal."

"From a tiny scratch maybe, but that was more than a scratch. Blood was pouring out of his mouth remember?" Stiles argued.

Avery felt tears fill her eyes as the image of Derek's bloody body crossed her mind. Teagan shot Stiles a look; that was the last thing Avery needed to be reminded of.

Stiles quickly apologized for his comment then he and Teagan talked over each other as they went on about how maybe she was right and Derek would be ok.

Avery's knees buckled when she realized Stiles was right for the first time. Derek was dead. There was no way he could survive an injury like that.

Teagan tightened her hold on Avery as Stiles rushed to her other side to help hold her up.

"Does she need help?" A passing cop asked when he saw Avery almost fall.

"No, she's fine. We just need to get her home." Teagan answered.

"Are you sure? She looks like she's about to pass out." The cop said, as he looked at a very pale Avery.

Before Teagan or Stiles could say anything else, Stiles' dad walked over towards them to see what the problem was and sent the other cop away.

"Is she ok?" Sheriff Stilinski asked as he looked at Avery.

"I'm fine. I just want to go home." Avery said softly, as a few stray tears fell down her face.

"You girls are free to go anytime. But I did call your father and he's on the way if you want to wait a little longer." Sheriff Stilinski said to Teagan, then he looked at Avery as he said, "I tried to call yours but there was no answer."

"He's out of town on vacation." Avery answered.

Sheriff Stilinski frowned, he couldn't believe a father would leave town without his daughter, leaving her in a big house alone but then he remembered Stiles telling him stories about Avery and her home life and realized that maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised after all.

"You're staying with me tonight." Teagan said to her best friend.

"No, I want to go home." Avery argued. She just needed her room, where she and Derek had made so many memories together.

She just wanted to feel close to him again. That was all she wanted.

**~()~**

Avery thanked the officer that had driven her home after the school.

Both Teagan and Stiles wanted to come home with her and keep an eye on her, but she declined.

Most of the time when she told people she wanted to be alone, it was really to see if anyone would really see she wanted and needed comforting.

But this time she meant it, she didn't want to be around anyone.

They were all pretty sure that Derek was dead, after what the alpha did to him; could he still be a live?

And now everyone thought that her boyfriend had trapped them in the school trying to kill them; school was going to be blast once it reopened.

Avery opened her front door and walked inside as she shut the door behind her she leaned against it taking a deep breath.

Walking into the kitchen she eyed her dad's bottles of expensive liquor, but she couldn't even bring herself to take a drink of anything.

Right after they'd gotten in the school she was a crying mess, especially when Stiles and Scott were trying to figure out what to do and Stiles loudly told Scott that there wasn't any way Derek survived the alpha attack.

Then she'd managed to hold it together decently until Teagan showed up at the school.

Teagan had only had to take one look at her best friend to see something was really wrong, then Avery had broken down again so bad that she could barely even tell her about the alpha hurting Derek.

When Allison started questioning them about what happened, to avoid telling any version of the truth and outing himself as a werewolf, Scott lied and said that Derek had killed the janitor and now was trying to kill them too.

A part of her wanted to break down again, cry and get it all out while she was there by herself, but she couldn't feel much of anything now. A sort of numbness had set in.

After making it upstairs to her bedroom she pulled her clothes off and took a shower, she dried her hair and changed into a pair of dark red pajama shorts with skull and crossbones designs, and a black tank top.

Walking back into her bedroom, Avery pulled open a drawer to her dresser looking for a long sleeve jacket to put on but the drawer she opened had some of Derek's clothes in it.

Her breathing grew shallow and she looked over to her computer chair where the majority of his clothes; clean or dirty always seemed to end up.

Tears burnt her eyes as she looked around her room, there were little reminders of him everywhere. After all they'd been living in her room for months now.

She saw his cellphone charger plugged into the wall next to the bed and it felt like Derek was everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

All of a sudden it occurred to her what her dad must have felt like when he lost her mom, she didn't understand why he'd never slept back in the master bedroom. But now she understood it, it was too painful.

Leaving her phone and everything else in her room she went down the hallway to an upstairs guest room.

Pulling the comforter back she climbed into the bed and closed her eyes trying to control her labored breathing, she eventually drifted off to sleep.

It was a few hours later that the sound of the bedroom door opening woke her up.

She groaned and slowly blinked her eyes open as she looked around the darkened room.

"Avery…" A familiar voice said softly.

She sat straight up in the bed her light brown eyes wide as she stared at Derek in shock.

"You're alive." She gasped as she jumped off the bed and wrapped her arms around him.

"The wound took a while to heal, I think because it was caused by an alpha." He admitted as he held her against him.

"I thought you were dead." She said, tears burning her eyes as she breathed in the subtle smell of his cologne.

"I'm okay." He assured her.

She didn't say anything just held tightly onto him, never wanting to let go.

"Are you alright?" He asked when she didn't say anything.

"I think I am now." She said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Moving over to the bed, she got in and scooted over so he could lay down beside her.

He wrapped an arm around her as she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes; smiling to herself at the steady beat of his heart.

It was over 30 minutes later when he raised his head and looked at her when he heard her heartbeat change slightly.

"I realized something today when I thought I'd really lost you." She admitted not raising her head from his chest.

"What's that?" He asked, his voice was soft as he laid his head back down on the pillow and looked up to the ceiling.

"I didn't think I'd be okay without you." She admitted.

Raising her head she looked at him, as he raised his head again and looked at her.

Their eyes locked and he heard her breathing grow a little shaky as her eyes were misty.

"I wouldn't be okay if I lost you; because I love you." She finally said.

He opened his mouth to say something but she didn't give him the chance too.

"I didn't tell you that because I don't expect you to say back or anything. And it's fine if you don't, but I've never felt this way about anyone before… and I had to tell you." She rambled, her heart rate increased from a slight fear that she might have just ruined everything.

She barely paused long enough before taking another breath and starting to continue her nervous ramblings. But he cut her off as he rose up and kissed her.

Pulling back his eyes searched her face for a few moments before he said, "I love you too."

"You do?" She asked, a small smile spreading over her lips.

"I do." He said, nodding as he pulled her back to his.

After the kiss she scooted down some and laid her head back down on his chest, as he put his arm around her again.

She laid her arm over his stomach and closed her eyes again; letting out a sigh of relief that he felt the same way about her.

A part of her wanted to jump up and run to her room, grab her phone and call Teagan to tell her; when Jackson and Teagan had first said the 3 big words to each other Teagan called to tell her as soon as she could.

But she didn't want to move out of his arms, she just wanted to keep laying in the silent room with him, listening to his beating heart as proof that he really was there with her.

**~()~**

It was early the next morning when Avery walked up onto Teagan's porch, she rang the doorbell and waited impatiently for someone to answer it.

Raising her fist she started to knock on the door, she could hear Aspen barking alerting them someone was there.

A few moments later the door opened and Paul, Teagan's dad answered it.

"Is everything okay, Avery?" He asked, groggily.

"Yeah, so sorry to wake you up. I just need to see Teagan." Avery called over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs.

Paul shook his head as he yawned and shut the door, before heading back to his room to go back to sleep.

"T!" Avery happily exclaimed as she pounced on the bed with her.

Teagan's eyes popped open and she gasped as she sat up.

"You scared me to death!" Teagan yelled as she put a hand over her heart and laid back down breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry." Avery said sincerely, she was just so excited to see her friend and happy that they were talking again.

Teagan raised her head again and looked at Avery, "You… left your house in pajamas? You never go anywhere in pajamas."

Avery opened her mouth to say something, but Teagan's eyes widened and she crawled out from under blankets wrapping her friend in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, you scared me and I woke up in a confused state of mind." Teagan said, thinking Avery must be out of her house in her pajamas because she was depressed over Derek's death.

"He's alive, T." Avery whispered.

Letting go of her Teagan sat back and stared at her.

"Derek?" Teagan asked.

"Yeah! But now thanks to Scott, he's the most wanted man in Beacon Hills so we can't really openly talk about him." Avery said, as she smiled a beaming smile.

"You were so sure he was dead." Teagan said in disbelief.

"I know, but he showed up and surprised me last night. His wounds didn't heal as quick because it was caused by an alpha." Avery said.

"I'm happy for you… I can't really say I'm 100% on his side or anything, but I'm really happy he's okay." Teagan said honestly.

Avery nodded as she continued to smile.

"Is there something else?" Teagan asked when Avery remained silent.

"I'm in love with him." Avery said.

Teagan smiled and nodded.

"And he loves me back." She continued.

When Teagan's expression didn't change Avery said, "Why don't you seem at all surprised?"

"I think I knew before you did." Teagan admitted with a small laugh.

"It's weird right, that I love someone. I mean this has never happened before, ever." Avery continued to gush.

"I told you it would happen for you. Never in a million years would I have expected you to fall for Derek Hale, or him to fall for you. But I knew it would happen." Teagan said as she grabbed a hair tie from her bed side table and pulled her brunette hair up into a bun.

The room was silent for a little while before Teagan let out a heavy sigh.

"What?" Avery asked her, startled from her day dreams.

"What do you think about me and Jackson, together?" Teagan asked.

"T, you know if you ask me a question, I will give you a straight up answer whether you're going to like it or not." Avery reminded her.

"That's what I want, your honest opinion." Teagan continued.

"When you first got back together, I was so happy for the both of you. But then the more I watched you guys together, the more it almost seemed like you were going through the motions and not 100% into it." Avery said.

"I love him." Teagan reminded her.

"And he loves you, I'm not denying that. But I think that it's a different type of being in love then it was 2 years ago when you moved away. You're different people now and I think maybe being in love also has a different meaning now than when you were 14." Avery admitted.

"What would you say if I told you; I think you might be right?" Teagan said softly.

"That I'm sorry it's not turning out the way you wanted it do. I know you've dreamed of being with him forever since we were a lot younger." Avery said, her voice as soft as her friends.

"But then there are moments he's so great to me, and it's like we were never even apart for 2 years. I still think he's the one." Teagan said with a small smile.

"What brought all of this on?" Avery asked, curiously.

"Honestly… Isaac." Teagan admitted her voice barely over a whisper.

Avery raised her eyebrows at her best friend.

"It's terrible, right? I'm dating Jackson and I'm in love with him, but I catch myself thinking about Isaac all the time. And there are moments when I'm with him, I think that the way he makes me feel should be the way Jackson makes me feel. But it's not." Teagan continued.

"Well, I don't envy your situation." Avery breathed out as she ran her hands through her hair, she could feel how upset her best friend was.

"You're not this situation at all, yourself?" Teagan asked.

"I love Derek, and only Derek." Avery said.

"I don't mean love, not yet at least. But think of all the times Derek's said or did something to hurt you. And then there's a guy who would never do anything to hurt you, and always seems to be there when you need him…" Teagan explained her thought process.

"Stiles and I are just friends." Avery quickly said.

"I didn't even have to tell you who I meant." Teagan pointed out.

Avery sighed, "I can't like Stiles like that."

Teagan slowly nodded, "And I can't like Isaac like that."

"It's a completely different situation, you're really torn between the two of them. I think that Jackson had an opportunity to move on and be with Lydia, I think that before you guys start planning the wedding you maybe owe it to yourself to take Isaac out for test drive." Avery offered.

"They're not cars." Teagan said with a laugh.

"Some of them aren't worth anything but a quick spin around the block. All I'm saying is that you can't fully be devoted to your relationship with Jackson if you're wondering how things would be with Isaac. Maybe spend some more time around him, get to know him a little better." Avery said.

"How am I supposed to spend more time around him? If I go out with Isaac anywhere it will look like a date, and it would be too weird for me to ask him over here. The cemetery isn't exactly the best place…" her voice trailed off as she could tell by the look on Avery's face that she had an idea.

"But if there's a social event and you're seen mingling with him, it won't look bad at all." Avery said.

"What kind of social event?" Teagan asked.

"Like one of Avery Dukate's famous parties." She said, with a smile

"My dad is still out of town." Avery explained.

"I have missed your parties." Teagan said smiling, thinking it was the perfect opportunity to not only spending some time with Isaac, but to have some fun after all the drama and fighting.

"Great, you invite Isaac and I'll do everything else." Avery said smiling widely, she loved throwing huge parties.

"Wait what about Derek?" Teagan remembered out loud.

"He can enjoy the music while locked in my room. He doesn't have anywhere to go and he has to stay hidden, so I'll get him whatever he wants to eat and drink and he'll have to stay in my room." Avery said.

"You really think the two of you can live together while he's hiding from the police? What if you guys get sick of each other, you're not exactly notorious for being able to tolerate a guy for too long." Teagan said, a little worried Avery and Derek might get into a fight.

"T, uh… we've both been living in my room for months now." She admitted.

Teagan's jaw dropped as she thought of how much she missed not being on speaking terms with her best friend.

"So I am going back home to spend the day with the guy I love, and your goal is to track down Isaac soon and tell him about my party Friday." Avery said as she stood up.

"You just love saying that, don't you?" Teagan called after her.

"That I'm throwing a party, yeah I love saying it." Avery said as she stood in her friends door way.

"I mean that you have someone you love." Teagan said with a laugh, as she tossed a pillow at her.

Avery laughed as she headed down the stairs and out to her car.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! ^_^ I really hope you all liked the chapter.**

**Did you guys all see the last episode of Teen Wolf? For those who didn't, I won't spoil anything but I will say that Miss E Charlotte and I, both had talked about it a lot and we'd guessed who the darach was before it was revealed, and we were right. ^_^**

**Speaking of Miss E Charlotte, if you haven't checked out her page yet, you really should. She has amazing stories, plus she is now 3 chapters in to a new Teen Wolf story. ^_^**

**We both still have links to our Polyvore accounts on our profiles, and I've recently started a new Isaac/OC/Stiles story too!**

**It would really make our day if you'd take the time to leave a review. We always love getting feedback and seeing that there is still an interest in this story.**


	27. Purple Handcuffs

**Purple Handcuffs - Chapter 27**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Over the next couple of days while Avery was busy planning her upcoming party, Teagan was starting to have second thoughts.

She has a boyfriend, a boyfriend that she does actually love, she shouldn't be thinking of another boy or inviting him to parties to 'test drive him'. Avery's words not hers, but Avery reassured her that she wasn't doing anything wrong and if nothing else then she and Isaac could just be friends.

Besides Teagan had no idea what was going on with her and Jackson at the moment since she had not even spoken to him since that night at the school.

Which was her fault, not his. He had tried to call her a few times but she ignored it every time because she honestly didn't know what to say to him.

She knew she loved him and she knew she would always love him, but was that enough for a relationship?

She was still confused about it all a couple of days later when the school opened back up and it was time to resume classes. Teagan arrived at school earlier than usual, thinking it was the best time to talk to Isaac.

She had noticed him at school early before and hoped this morning would be a time he was there again. She walked towards the empty classroom she had seen him in before as he sat at a desk trying to catch up on homework she guessed, and peeked into the room to see that he was there like she had hoped.

She had not been sure if she was actually going to talk to him or not, but when she felt that little flutter in her stomach again as she watched him writing in his notebook, she knew she had to.

Avery was right, she owed it to herself to see if there was something there or she would always wonder then her relationship with Jackson would really suffer.

Teagan took a deep breath and slowly released it as she tried to calm her nerves down. This was Isaac, a guy she had talked to before so it should be easy right?

Without answering herself, she took a small step inside the room and cleared her throat, hoping he would look up and see her. Instead he kept his head down, not use to anyone seeking him out to speak to him.

He just assumed another student had arrived or even a teacher, either way, he knew it wasn't someone for him so he kept working.

Teagan stood still for a moment, surprised that he never looked up. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she should just leave.

With that thought in mind, she turned around and quickly walked out of the classroom and leaned against the wall by the door. She pulled out her cellphone and called Avery.

"I can't do it." Teagan whispered, as soon as Avery answered.

"You can't do what?" Avery asked out of breath, then added before she can answer, "Where are you by the way and why are you whispering?"

"I'm at school. Where are you?" Teagan whispered back.

"At home. In my room. On the floor." Avery answered in between breathes.  
"Ew, wait, you're on the floor and out of breath. Ew! You're doing 'ew' things with Derek aren't you?" Teagan whined, as she wrinkled up her nose.

Avery burst out laughing then said, "No, I'm doing crunches you pervert. Trust me if I was doing Derek I wouldn't have answered the phone."

"Good to know." Teagan whispered, as she glanced back into the room to watch Isaac.

"So what can't you do?" Avery asked her.

"Talk to him." Teagan answered.

"Talk to who? You're going to have to help me out here, T." Avery said.

"Isaac. I can't talk to Isaac." Teagan whispered, as she turned around, her back now facing the classroom.

"Why? You've talked to him before." Avery pointed out.

"That was before the flutters." Teagan said back.

"You're just asking him to a party. It's not like you're asking for his hand in marriage." Avery said with a laugh, then said, "just ask him."

Teagan opened her mouth to argue but before she could say a word she heard someone walk out of the classroom then call out her name. She closed her eyes and quietly groaned when she realized it was Isaac. She just hoped and prayed he did not overhear any of her conversation with Avery.

"Oops busted." Avery giggled when she heard him speak.

"H-hi Isaac." Teagan said nervously, as she turned around to face him.

"Hey. What are you doing here so early?" Isaac asked her.

"Now is your chance. Ask him." Avery whispered to her over the phone.

"Shut up." Teagan hissed back, causing Avery to laugh out loud. She looked over at Isaac and saw him shoot her a confused look. She quickly explained, "I don't mean you. You don't shut up, I was talking to Avery."

"Oh." Isaac said.

"Ask him, ask him, ask him." Avery chanted over the phone.

Teagan rolled her eyes and chuckled at her friend then without a word quickly ended the phone call.

When Isaac shot her another confused look she said, "The call was dropped."

As Isaac nodded his head, she asked,"so what are you doing here?"

"I had some work to get caught up on." He answered, then asked, "What about you?"

"Oh, I um... I-I just wanted to get a um, get a early start to the day." She stuttered, then silently groaned. She had never stuttered this much before in her life.

"I heard about the attack on you and your friends. I was worried about you... I mean all of you, but I'm glad everyone is ok." Isaac said, blushing at his slip up.

She smiled at the slip and said, "Thanks."

"Well um, I guess I'll see you later." Isaac said, figuring she wouldn't want to stand around talking to him anymore.

"See you later Isaac." Teagan said smiling.

Isaac gave her a small smile then walked past her to walk down the hallway. He was about half way down the hall when she realized she forgot to invite him.

She quickly called out his name as she turned around to catch up with him. He came to a stop then turned around to wait as she caught up to him.

"Avery is having a party this weekend, Friday to be exact, and we wanted to invite you." Teagan blurted out before she could chicken out again.

"Oh um, I-I don't know." Isaac said shocked. Like everyone else he knew all about the famous Avery Dukate parties but he had never been invited to one before and even though he liked to think he and Teagan were friends, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a real invitation or a prank.

"It's going to be a lot of fun, I mean Avery always throws the best parties." Teagan added, hoping to convince him.

"I-I'll try but I don't know, I probably won't be able to make it." Isaac said.

"Oh well, that's ok. Maybe the next one." Teagan suggested, as she tried not to feel disappointed.

"Yeah, maybe." Isaac mumbled.

The two stood awkwardly in front of each other, neither one making a move to leave until they both spoke up at the same time.

"I got to go .."

"Well I should go.."

Teagan chuckled then said again as she pointed behind her, "I should go."

"Right, see ya." Isaac said, as he walked passed her again like before and continued on down the hall.

She stood in the same spot and watched as he turned a corner to walk down another hallway. She wasn't sure how long she had been standing still in deep thought until she heard someone call out her name.

She glanced behind her to see Jackson walking toward her, a guilty feeling coming over her when he leaned forward to give her a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey, you ok?" Jackson asked her, then added, "I've been trying to call you the last few days and I started to come over but I figured you were avoiding me."

"No I just, I was spending time with dad. He took some time off from work and we just spent time together." Teagan said, only half lying. Her father did take time off cause of the attack and they were spending time together which worked out perfectly since she was avoiding him while trying to process all of her feelings but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"So we're ok?" Jackson asked her.

"Yeah... I mean, I guess we are." Teagan answered.

"Good." Jackson answered, as he laid a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her toward him for a heated kiss.

Teagan rested her hands on his shoulders, trying to keep up with the pace he was setting and couldn't deny that she still felt a tingle down her spine when he kissed her.

"Want to get together after school today?" Jackson asked her after the kiss.

"I can't I've got plans with Avery." Teagan said as she rested her forehead against his and tried to catch her breath.

"Blow her off." Jackson said, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I can't. I'm helping her with the party this weekend." Teagan said, then added when he shot her a confused look, "She's throwing a party Friday."

"Ok." Jackson said with a sigh, then added, "but we'll do something else Friday cause I don't want to have anything to do with her."

"I was planning on going to the party." Teagan told him.

"Maybe we'll go to the next one, but I'm not going to this one. Not so soon after she almost got us killed." Jackson said, still angry and blaming her for the attack.

"No, Jackson, you're not hearing me. I am going to the party." Teagan said, as she took a step back from him.

Jackson scoffed at her comment then said, "No. You're not going."

"What do you mean 'no'? I'm not asking for permission, I'm telling you I'm going." Teagan snapped.

Jackson glanced around, noticing that more students had showed up and were watching them as they argued. He looked back over at Teagan, his anger taking over, as he snapped, "You know what? Fine! Do whatever you want."

Without another word, he turned around and walked down the hallway.

Teagan watched him walk away, wondering if she should go after him or not.

Confusing thoughts or not, she did love him and she hated it when they argued. She went to take a step to go after him until something caught her eye.

She saw Lydia standing by a bank of lockers, where she had been listening to their argument. She smirked at Teagan before walking down the hallway to catch up with Jackson.

Teagan could imagine what was going through Lydia's mind right after watching her fight with Jackson she figured Lydia was going to try to get back in with Jackson and turn him against her.

Teagan knew she should go after them, but for some reason she just couldn't make herself move.

**~()~**

Avery walked with Stiles after another of their classes they had together.

"So, are you still harboring a fugitive?" Stiles asked quietly as he leaned over to Avery when he spoke.

As he breathed in, he caught a small whiff of her perfume and smiled.

"Yes, my boyfriend is still living with me." She said with a small sigh.

"Hey, thanks for telling me about getting him a prepaid phone so the police can't trace it like they would with his old phone." She said offering him a smile.

"I didn't do it for him. I told you because you can get in a lot of trouble if they find out you're hiding him." Stiles admitted.

"I don't care." She argued.

"How can you not care about that? You could get arrested." He pointed out.

"I care about him and about what happens to him." She said as they stopped at her locker.

"Did you hear me? I said they could arrest you." Stiles repeated.

"This is Scott's fault, all because he was trying to save face with Allison by blaming it all on Derek." She said her voice in a low hiss.

"He did the best he could under pressure." Stiles defended his friend.

"But at what cost? An innocent man…" Avery said as she shut her locker and spun the combination lock as they headed to his locker.

"Derek is not innocent." Stiles pointed out.

"In these murders, yes he is." She defended.

After stopping at his locker they were heading to lunch when he said, "I know you care about him, but this is your life. You're getting caught up in the middle of some heavy stuff."

"I don't care." She responded again.

"But…" Stiles started to say but she cut him off.

"I love him." She admitted, glancing over at him out of the corner of her eye.

He stopped walking.

"What?" Stiles asked.

Avery turned and faced him, "I'm in love with him." She repeated.

"Wow…" He breathed out, trying not to look hurt.

"You can't honestly be that surprised." She said, giving him an empathetic look.

"I just…" He shook his head not sure what to say.

"Have you told him yet?" He asked.

She nodded.

"What did he say?" Stiles asked.

"Do you really want to talk about this?" she asked.

"What did he say?" stiles repeated.

"That he loves me too." She admitted.

"Well, at least it's mutual. Would have been awkward for you if he didn't say it back." Stiles rambled.

"Come on." She said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the lunchroom.

His heart beat a little faster when her skin touched his.

Once they made it through the lunch line Avery looked around the cafeteria.

"Are you sitting with me and Scott again?" He asked hopeful.

Since the night they had been trapped in the school, Jackson was acting like a jerk towards her so she didn't sit with him and Teagan.

Allison and Scott had broken up and Allison was sitting with Lydia at lunch and had been acting distant towards Avery since that night too; she thought her boyfriend was the one trying to kill them.

But Avery didn't care; it was hard to be around Allison knowing that her aunt was mostly responsible for her mother's murder.

So Avery had been sitting with Scott and stiles.

"Not today, I have something I need to do. See you in economics." She said with a friendly smile.

Stiles watched her with a confused expression as she crossed the lunchroom and sat down at a table across from Isaac Lahey.

Isaac was eating by himself like he always did, he didn't really look up or around the room while he was eating.

That day his table had started out with all of its chairs, but other nearby tables were taking the chairs for their overcrowded tables.

There was an empty seat across from him, and a chair beside that one.

When he heard the metal chair scrape the floor he assumed it was someone taking the last remaining chairs.

Avery sat across from Isaac waiting for him to acknowledge her; but he didn't, he had no clue one of the most popular girls at their school was sitting with him.

"Newsflash Lahey, that whole 'if I don't make contact they won't talk to me' thing doesn't work on teachers when you don't want to be called on and it doesn't work on me either." She said as she took a bite from one of the cucumber slices on her salad.

He looked up at her wide eyed.

"See? Eye contact, isn't that better?" she asked with a playful wink.

He quickly looked back down to the table nervously, he didn't know what she was doing, whether it was some kind of prank or if someone had dared her to sit with him.

"Why… why are you sitting there?" He asked swallowing hard as he looked back up at her.

"Well, I thought I was sitting close enough to you to talk, but if you want to move right beside me, be my guest." She said, as she nodded to empty chair beside her.

"No, I… I mean why are you sitting here with me?" He finally asked, stuttering a little from nerves.

"Why wouldn't I sit with you?" she asked, waiting for an answer.

"Are you joking?" He asked.

"No." She said honestly.

"No one ever sits with me, especially people like… you." He said, quietly.

"People like me?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

He looked up at her, and saw she was seriously waiting on him to answer her.

"Popular people." He admitted.

Avery sighed and shook her head, "Do you want a piece of advice?" she questioned.

He didn't respond; he didn't want to say yes and then it be a mean joke, but he didn't want to say no and piss her off if she was being serious. He's seen her go off on more than a few people when they made her mad.

"For future reference; I take silence as an invitation to keep talking." She said.

He kept looking down at his lunch tray hoping she'd get bored and go sit somewhere else.

"Now onto my advice; Isaac, sometimes you have to grab life by the balls." She said loudly.

His eyes widened and jaw dropped as he looked up at her.

"I mean it, you have to take control of your life. You can't sit there and wait for the popular kids to come sit with you; you need to go sit with them." She said.

He shook his head and swallowed hard.

"You can't sit on the sidelines letting life pass you by." She said.

When he didn't respond she continued, "Take Teagan for example. That's a situation you need to grab by the balls. Not grab her by the balls, don't worry, I can assure Teagan doesn't have balls…"

Isaac cut her off, "Avery can you please just stop talking about balls."

She smiled at him.

"What?" He asked shifting in his seat, worried she was about to snap at him.

"That's what I mean, you didn't just sit here and wait for me to stop talking… talking about balls was making you uncomfortable so you told me to stop." She said.

"You knew you were making me uncomfortable." He said, softly.

"Yes, I did. It was a test to see if you had the balls to tell me to stop talking about balls." She said, with a laugh.

"Okay, I'm really done talking about round things now. Anyways; I wanted to give you this." She said as she slid a paper across the table.

He looked at it, it was her address and phone number.

"I know Teagan told you about the party at my house this Friday, this insures that you have no reason to not be there. It's my address, plus my phone number in case you get lost or can't find it or something." She explained.

"I already told Teagan that I don't think I'll be going." He said looking at her.

"You're coming to my party." She said still smiling.

"I…" He started to say but she cut him off.

"Aren't going to waste any more time arguing with me about this; it's my party and you've now formally been invited by the beautiful host." She said as she dramatically motioned to herself.

"And my equally beautiful best friend wants you there." She continued.

"I don't think I'll be able to make it." He tried to decline again.

"I have a pair of handcuffs, Isaac." She stated.

"What?" He asked as he stared at her in shock.

"They're dark purple and fuzzy, but they still serve their purpose and I happen to know they aren't easy to get off. Either you agree to come to my party, or I will bring them tomorrow and handcuff you to me until Friday. Teagan wants you there and Teagan's important to me." Avery said.

"Fine… I'll come to your party, just please don't talk about handcuffs anymore." He breathed out shaking his head.

"Does bondage make you uncomfortable?" She asked barely holding in her laughter.

"How does it not make you uncomfortable?" He shot back at her without thinking.

"Actually, it kind of does. But I'm adventurous…" Her voice trailed off as she took a drink of her water.

"I'm coming to your party." He stated again.

"Yay!" Avery said happily as she clapped her hands.

A few minutes passed, "Why are you still sitting here?"

"I like sitting here." She responded.

"But you got what you wanted, I agreed to go." He said.

"Correct, and now I want to sit with you, so I am. We're friends now." Avery said cheerfully.

"We're friends… me and you, friends?" He asked, as he stared at her.

"Mhmm." She said nodding.

"Okay." He said, not sure what to say to her.

"And just to prove it, I'm going to sit with you for the rest of the week and randomly after that." She said smiling widely at him.

"That's not really necessary." He said, he'd hardly been able to eat anything during this lunch with her.

"I know you really like Teagan." Avery bluntly stated.

"I, uh…" He stuttered.

He had no idea how she could just go around saying whatever she thought or noticed and not be self-conscious about any of it.

Instead the opposite happened, she made other people uncomfortable.

"It's okay. I'm on your side." She said as she looked over to where Teagan and Jackson were sitting.

"You are?" He asked as he also looked over to their table and was finally able to take a bite of his food.

"She and Jackson used to be good together, but he's a lot different now than he was two years ago when she left. So, I'm rooting for you." She said as she looked back at him.

"Th… thank you." He managed to say.

The lunch bell rang.

"Well, see you tomorrow at lunch then. Make sure the idiots around us don't take all the chairs. It won't be pretty if I have to confront people to get my chair back." She said.

"I'll save you a seat." He said, knowing there was no way she was going to leave him alone now.

"Thanks, bye Isaac." She said as she gathered her books and stacked their food trays.

He looked down expecting her to walk off and leave him to return their trays.

"See you tomorrow, Avery." He said, with a shocked expression as she took the trays up to the return window before leaving the cafeteria.

Isaac looked around the lunchroom, there was a few people looking at him wondering why Avery was talking to him.

But his gaze stopped on Teagan as she went to say hi to Allison.

Avery was right, he did like Teagan and there were moments when he felt she might feel the same way.

But then he'd tell himself what his dad told him that he'd never get a girl like that.

He looked down to his shoes that were a little muddy wondering why he even bothered getting his hopes up.

Then a small smile spread over his lips, for Avery to go as far out of her way as she did to get him to agree to the party, Teagan must have really wanted him there.

And Avery wasn't as bad as he thought to begin with, as long as you stayed on her good side she could be really nice; once you got past her shamelessness and strange conversation topics of course.

He let himself consider briefly that maybe he did have a shot with Teagan; Avery said she was rooting for him and Jackson had to hate him talking to her for a reason.

His heart sank a little as he saw Jackson lean down and press a heated kiss to Teagan's lips.

Grabbing his book bag he quickly headed out of the lunchroom.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading. ^_^ **

**Can you guys believe the first half of season 3 is almost over?**

**Miss E Charlotte and I both have other Teen Wolf stories posted; and the links to our Polyvore accounts are up on our profiles.**

******Please take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you've read and liked the chapter. Feedback is always welcomed and we appreciate the support more than you know**


	28. Life of the Party

**Life of the Party - Chapter 28**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Avery opened the door from her bathroom as she walked into her bedroom.

Derek looked up at her, he smiled as his eyes traveled over her body.

She was wearing a short, tight, strapless black dress and black high-heels, her shiny blonde hair was down and laying in large, full waves.

"You look amazing…" He said his voice trailing off as she spun a slow circle.

"Thanks." She said smiling widely.

Standing up he walked over to her and rubbed his hands down her sides before grabbing her hips and pulling her forward against him.

"You don't have to go to the party, right?" He asked, his voice low and husky as he spoke.

Leaning in she kissed him, holding onto the back of his head as she kept his face pulled tightly against hers.

Breaking the kiss she said, "Its my house, I'm the one throwing the party… I have to be there."

Resting his forehead against hers he said, "But we've got some time before it starts."

"I'm already dressed and ready…" she started to say, but the end of her sentence was cut off by a small gasp as he moved them backwards until her back gently collided with the wall.

She wrapped her arms around him and arched her body against him, as his mouth reclaimed hers in a deep passionate kiss.

Her body ached for him, his every touch set her senses on fire.

Breaking the kiss she said, "People will start arriving any minute…" The end of her sentence trailed off into a moan as he focused his mouth on the side of her neck.

She ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to kiss and lightly suck on the side of her neck.

Her heart rate increased; she dug her fingers into the firm, muscled flesh of his upper arms.

"Derek…" She was trying to tell him she had to get downstairs because she heard the doorbell, but he kissed around to the front of her throat and all she managed to do was moan his name.

He smiled as he raised his head and his eyes met hers.

"I have to go." She said, as she tried to control her labored breathing.

"Stop saying that." He breathed out, his lips lightly brushing against hers as he spoke.

She swallowed hard and leaned forward forcefully pressing her mouth against his, trailing her tongue across his bottom lip before sliding between his parted lips.

Everything about her intoxicated him; as the intensity of the kiss deepened, he pushed her back against the wall again.

He took a step back and looked her over before kissing her again, reaching between them she grabbed onto the waist band of his jeans and pulled him against her.

He groaned into her mouth and his grip tightened on her sides.

Their mouths still connected as their tongues danced, he rubbed his hands down her sides over her hips and down her outer thighs.

She shivered slightly as his warm flesh touched hers, and he started to slide the skin tight fabric up.

"Uh-uh." She managed to breathe out as she broke the passionate kiss and grabbed his hand that he'd started to slide up her inner thigh.

"We really cannot do this…" she whispered as her eyes locked with his.

There was a soft knock on her door.

"What?" Avery yelled, as she continued to stare into his eyes, she was starting to think maybe the party really could wait.

"A, people are starting to arrive…" Teagan said before gasping and staring at them wide eyed.

"T!" Avery exclaimed staring back at her.

Teagan quickly looked behind her to make sure no one had come up the stairs with her.

She walked in the room and shut the door behind her as she looked at them with slightly pink cheeks.

Avery put her hands flat against Derek's chest and lightly pushed him back some as she stepped away from the wall.

"Why didn't you tell me you were busy?" Teagan asked, avoiding Derek's eyes as she watched Avery tug the hemline on the bottom of her dress back to where it should be.

"Well, I said 'what' not 'come on in'." Avery reminded her as she smoothed her hair out.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt." Teagan apologized.

"I need to get downstairs anyways." Avery said.

"I'll, uh, I'll wait outside the door." Teagan told them as she kept her eyes on the floor until she was out of the room.

Facing Derek she pressed a heated kiss to lips before saying, "Don't forget to lock the door behind me so no one comes in and finds you."

Curling an arm around her waist he pulled her against him, "You can't just kiss me like that and then leave."

"I'll come back up here for a little while after the party gets going." She said as she smiled at him.

He kissed her again and nodded.

"Oh, and I've got my phone if you need anything." She said.

Derek was still wanted by the police and no one could know he was there.

He looked her over.

"Where's your phone?" He asked a slight look of confusion on his face.

She smirked as she took a few steps forward and pulled the top of her black dress down a little to reveal a black and red lace strapless bra with her cellphone.

"I'm carrying it in my bra." She said as she fixed her dress.

"Now, you can't leave." He said as he walked up to her and kissed her.

"I have to. Lock the door behind me." She quickly said as she rushed out of the room before he could stop her again.

"Sorry." Avery apologized to Teagan as she met her in the hallway.

"Well, if you disappear in the middle of the party; I'll know where to find you." Teagan said with a laugh as the two girls headed down the stairs.

"Wow, quite a few people are already here." Avery said looking around her house.

"The band just got set up." Teagan said as she nodded towards the back doors of the house which were propped open.

Avery looked out to see the band doing a sound check on the stage.

Teagan squinted at the band then her eyes widened, "Didn't you go out with the singer?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Avery said as she glanced around to see who all had arrived.

"Yeah, you totally did… you guys went on a double date with Jackson and I before I moved away." Teagan remembered out loud.

"Shh." Avery breathed out as she pointed above them.

"If you're not careful he'll start growling…" she said with a smirk knowing he could hear her.

Teagan's brown eyes widened, "Oh my god! That night in your room, that was the growing I kept hearing."

Avery nodded and then smiled as the front door opened and Stiles walked in.

"Hey!" she said as they walked up to him.

Teagan smiled at him.

Stiles' eyes slowly traveled over her short, tight dress.

Reaching forward she grabbed his chin and tilted his head up until he faced her, "My face is up here, Stilinski."

"I, uh..." He started to say but couldn't think of a comeback.

"Welcome to my party… I'm off to see what songs the band is playing." She said as she headed to the back of the house and out of the back doors.

Stiles looked around the house, "How did she get all of this alcohol?"

"A credit card and her fake ID." Teagan told him.

"She has a fake ID... of course she has a fake ID, she's perfect." Stiles breathed out as he watched her talking to the singer of the band.

"Uh, Stiles… there's a certain someone upstairs who can hear everything you say." Teagan said giving him an empathetic smile.

"Yeah, but he has to stay hidden. I'm not afraid of him." Stiles said confidently.

When they heard music startup they looked outside to the band.

"And I can't believe she has a band, I have never been to a party like this. It's awesome!" Stiles exclaimed.

"Have you never been to one of Avery's parties? They're always like this." Teagan said.

"I tried to sneak into one last year, some guys threw me out." He admitted.

"Oh." Teagan said her smile falling a bit for him.

"But this is a different year and Avery's really wanted you here." Teagan said offering him a friendly smile.

"Really?" Stiles asked her.

"Really." Teagan responded.

"Cool." Stiles said smiling, as he nodded his head along to the song the band was playing.

"Is Scott coming?" Teagan asked him.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders then said, "I dunno. He's still depressed about his break up with Allison."

"The first heart break is always the worst." Teagan said softly as she remembered how she felt when she and Jackson broke up two years ago before she left town.

"Jackson watching porn?" Stiles asked her.

"What?" Teagan asked with a laugh.

"I don't see him here so I figured he was off watching porn." Stiles joked, reminding her of the talk they had recently.

Teagan laughed then shrugged as she said, "I guess he could be. I don't know. He said he wasn't coming."

"You know I read that if a guy watches a lot of porn it means he is terrible in bed." Stiles said, then asked, "is that his embarrassing thing? He's bad in bed."

"No." Teagan said laughing again, then joked, "besides didn't you say you watch a lot of porn too."

"Right, good point, never mind then." Stiles said, then added, "but he has to have something embarrassing. At least tell me he gets pedicures or likes to wear your underwear sometimes."

Teagan shook her head as she laughed out loud at him until a guy walked past holding a tray full of shots. She reached out to grab two and quickly drank them.

If she was going to cut loose and have fun tonight, she was going to do it the right way. She sat the two empty glasses back on the tray then grabbed two more before the guy walked off.

She held one out to Stiles as she asked, "Do you have a designated driver?"

"No, but Avery said it was ok if I crashed here and I'm not going to pass up the chance to sleep at the Avery Dukate's house." Stiles said, as he took the shot then stuck out his tongue to gag at how strong it was.

Teagan laughed out loud at the faces he was making, between the few shots she just had plus the few before the party while Avery was getting dressed, the liquor was already taking an effect on her but she didn't care, she was having a blast and the night was just getting started.

"Ooh more shots." Teagan called out happily, as another guy walked up with a tray full of shots.

She grabbed four shots in all, two in one hand and two in the others. She handed Stiles two of the shots then drank the other two.

Stiles chuckled at her, he had never seen Teagan like this before, she had always been the more serious one while Avery was the fun/outgoing one. He drank his shots then the two sat their empty glasses back on the tray.

"Leave it to Avery to hire servers to walk away with shots of liquor for a party like it's a fancy dinner party." Stiles joked when the guy walked off.

"Yep, when she throws a party she goes all out." Teagan said as she began to dance around when the band began to play a new song. She glanced over toward the band and saw Avery waving them over as she jumped around dancing to the music.

She reached out to grab Stiles' arm then pointed toward Avery as she said, "we are being summoned."

The two made their way through the crowd and walked over to Avery. Once they were in front of her, she grabbed one of Stiles' arms and one of Teagan's arms as she begin to jump up and down again as she tried to get them to dance with her.

"Great party." Stiles called out to Avery over the music.

"Yep! It's the bestest of the best." Teagan agreed with a giggle.

Avery stopped dancing to look at her best friend closely then she looked over at Stiles as she asked, "How much has she had to drink?"

Stiles tried to count on his fingers how many shots she took but was having a hard time remembering. He finally shrugged then guessed, "I dunno, a lot?"

Teagan nodded her head as she said, "He's right. I had a lot."

Avery laughed out loud as she hugged her and said, "Yay! It's drunk, fun Teagan. I've missed drunk, fun Teagan."

"Me too!" Teagan agreed, as she threw her hands in the air and danced around, causing the other two to laugh out loud.

While the three continued to dance around to the music, Isaac cautiously stepped into the crowded house and began to have second thoughts about showing up.

After being seen with Avery every day that week in the lunch room most of the party guests nodded their heads at him, thinking he was cool enough to attend the party; but there were a few that still looked at him like he didn't belong there and he knew they were right.

He was starting to regret letting Avery talk him into coming until he saw her. The one and only reason why he was there... Teagan.

He stayed rooted in the same spot as he watched her dance around with Avery and Stiles. He couldn't help but smile when her laughter rang out after Avery playfully dipped her.

Then while Stiles was spinning Teagan around, Avery glanced around and saw him standing there watching them, well mainly watching Teagan.

Avery smiled at Isaac as she nodded her head toward Teagan then motioned for him to come over and do something instead of just standing around, but when he shook his head 'no', she tapped Teagan on the shoulder then pointed over toward him, letting her know he was there.

Teagan smiled happily as she waved at him then told Avery she would be right back before making her way over toward him.

"Hey! You came." Teagan called out, as she rushed forward to hug him taking both of them by surprise.

"Sorry, I shouldn't... I don't know why I did that." She added, as she took a quick step back when she felt him freeze up at her touch.

"It-it's ok." Isaac said, silently cursing himself for freaking out at her touch. It wasn't that he didn't like it, quite the opposite really, but he was just so surprised by it he didn't know how to act and now the moment was over.

"But I'm glad you're here." Teagan said smiling, quickly recovering.

"Me too." Isaac said, smiling back.

"So what changed your mind?" Teagan asked him.

"Well uh... I-I um... I came for..." Isaac stuttered. He remembered what Avery had been telling him all week. Go for what you want. Take a chance.

He wanted to tell her he came for her, that everything he does is for her but the longer she looked at him, waiting for an answer the more nervous he became until finally he chickened out.

"I just um... I thought it was time to get out there and stop sitting on the sidelines." He finally said, which was mostly true.

"You're starting to sound like Avery. She says things like that all the time." Teagan said with a laugh, until a thought crossed her mind and her face fell as she said, "Wait a minute. Avery forced you to come didn't she?"

She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by that thought, sure she was glad he was there, but she had hoped it was because he wanted to see her not because Avery forced him and she knew how it was to be forced by Avery, the girl gave you no chance at all to say no.

"No she... I mean she suggested it but it's not like she forced me." Isaac tried to explain so he could fix their conversation.

He could tell he was blowing it big time.

Teagan shook her head as she said, "It's ok, you don't have to explain, I know how Avery is, but don't feel like you have to stay if you don't want to."

Isaac opened his mouth to tell her how badly he did want to stay and hopefully say something witty enough to make her laugh and want to stand with him all night to talk, but he couldn't think of a single word to say. His mind was completely blank.

While Isaac continued to think of something to say, Danny walked over toward them, giving Teagan a big hug. Danny spoke to Isaac a little then went back to talking to Teagan as the two laughed and joked around as Isaac awkwardly stood there watching them.

When the band started playing a new song, Teagan gasped in surprise as she said, "Aw I love this song!"

"Let's go dance then." Danny suggested, as he grabbed her hand. Then he paused a moment as he gestured between Teagan and Isaac and said, "Unless you two were going to dance or something. I don't want to interrupt."

"No it's-it's fine you two go ahead. I'll just be..." Isaac began to say before Teagan called out a 'bye' and waved at him before she and Danny ran off to go dancing.

Once he was alone he added, "..here."

Isaac was so busy watching her having a fun time with Danny, that he never heard anyone walk up behind him until the person spoke up, scaring him half to death.

"What did we talk about?" Avery asked him.

"What?" Isaac said confused, as he turned around to look at her.

"You're supposed to be out there having fun, remember?" Avery pointed out, then added, "you know, grab life by the balls. Not stand in a corner and grab your own."

"Please don't start that again." Isaac begged, not wanting to hear her go on about balls again.

"I won't if you answer something for me." Avery said, then continued as she pointed towards Teagan and Danny, "Why is my bestie dancing with someone who is not you?"

"Well she uh, she said she liked the song playing so Danny offered to dance with her." Isaac explained.

"Isaac!" Avery called out, her eyes wide. Then she added, "When a girl says she loves the song that means she wants you to ask her to dance."

"Oh." Was all Isaac could say back.

"Don't worry. I will have you two dancing together before the end of the night. Even if I have to get my handcuffs." Avery said with a wink.

Avery watched as Isaac eyed a tray with shot glasses as one of the servers walked past them.

"Did you drive here?" she asked.

"I rode my bike." He admitted.

"Oh, well… if you drink too much you're welcome to crash here. A ton of people do, they sleep everywhere but I've got the keys to the guest bedrooms for my friends, so let me know if you want to stay I'll give you a key." She said as she looked back to the band as they finished up a song.

"You let half the school crash at your house?" He asked surprised.

"I'd rather them be here than out on the roads." She said nodding.

"You look shocked." She observed, as she eyed him.

"That's just… a little surprising I guess." He admitted.

He knew Avery was really into partying and she seemed a little reckless.

"One of my cousins was hit and killed by some idiot who got behind the wheel drunk." She said quietly as she looked around.

His eyes widened, "Oh. I… I didn't know." He stuttered.

"It's not all sunshine and rainbows up here, Lahey." She said as she patted the side of her head.

Before he could respond she smiled and said, "Go have some fun."

He watched her as she walked away pausing to say 'hello' to several people.

It was close to an hour and several shots later, that Avery started to make her way up the stairs to see Derek, when someone grabbed her hand.

"Stiles?" She said surprised when she saw it was him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, his words a little slurred.

"Upstairs for a little bit." She admitted.

"No, come on." He said tugging on her hand.

"What?" she asked.

"Let's dance!" He said.

"You're drunk…" she said with a laugh.

"You've… been doing shots too. I've been watching you." He admitted with a goofy smile on his face.

"Yes, but I can hold my liquor. You're a lightweight." She said with a laugh.

"No, I'm not…" He slurred.

After a pause he said, "Let's dance, like at that last party… where you almost kissed me."

Avery's eyes widened, knowing Derek could hear them.

"Stiles, that was a long time ago!" She exclaimed, but smiled as she let him lead her back outside where everyone was dancing.

Much later that night after saying goodbye to the band and when some of the party had cleared out, Avery was walking around with one of her shoes in her hand and trying to find the other one.

She wandered into the second living room and saw a group of 3 first line lacrosse players, laughing and nodding towards the couch as they talked amongst themselves.

Walking farther into the room she saw, Stiles passed out on the couch.

Sighing she dropped her other shoe on the floor and looked up as Isaac walked by the room.

"Isaac!" She yelled waving him over.

"I was getting ready to go home." He admitted, it was getting late and he was afraid he'd get into trouble with his dad.

"Can you help me, we need to move him into another room." She said.

"Oh, okay." Isaac agreed as he helped Avery get Stiles stood up, with an arm over each of their shoulders.

"We'll never make it up the stairs… my dad's room is down that hallway." Avery said as she stumbled a little.

"Why are we putting him in another room?" Isaac wondered out loud.

"I'm afraid the jocks are going to do something to him, honestly." She admitted as she unlocked the door and opened it.

They dropped him on the bed and Avery locked the inside of the door knob and pulled it shut after they walked back out.

"Did you ever dance with Teagan?" Avery asked.

"No." Isaac admitted.

"I got too busy drinking and dancing, I completely forgot to find you again. Don't worry, I'll throw another party and handcuff the two of you together." She said her words a little slurred as she laughed.

"Please don't." Isaac pleaded.

One party was bad enough where he felt out of place the entire time, he didn't want to have to go through the whole thing again.

As they walked back into the 2nd living room, the guys were gone but Teagan was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, groaning from how miserable she was feeling.

"Now's your chance… she needs someone to take care of her and I've got my boyfriend…" Avery's eyes widened and she laughed nervously at her slip-up.

"I've had way too much to drink, I'm not making any sense just ignore me. I've got my empty room to get back to, so you go take care of my best friend." Avery demanded pointing to Teagan.

"I need to get home." Isaac said.

"Whatever you have waiting at home for you, is nowhere near as important as her. So forget it, and go be her friend." Avery said, as she patted Isaac's cheek.

"Now, I'm going to my empty room… where there's no one at." She slurred as she turned and held onto the wall to steady herself as she made her way to the stairs.

* * *

**A/N- I hope you all liked the chapter. Don't worry there is more Isaac next chapter. ^_-**

**We're still having so much fun working on this story. If you haven't yet you should check out Miss E Charlotte's page and her other stories. You won't regret it. And did you guys notice the new story cover? lol ^_^**

**As always we appreciate your support and feedback, so please don't be silent reader. Leave us a review to let us know you're still following the story.**


	29. Wet Dreams

**Wet Dreams - Chapter 29**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Isaac took a deep breath and walked over to the couch as he sat down beside Teagan.

Teagan groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Are you okay?" Isaac asked her, his voice soft.

Raising her head Teagan looked at him, "I… I think drank too much."

"I'd say so, yeah." Isaac said with small laugh.

"Ugh." Teagan groaned with a hand over her shoulder as she leaned sideways and rested her head on Isaac's shoulder.

His body tensed for a minute and he wasn't sure what to do.

"I'm sorry Avery forced you into tonight." Teagan apologized as she closed her eyes.

Slowly Isaac reached a hand back and awkwardly patted her back, "It's okay, Avery's not that bad."

Teagan laughed.

"I…" He stopped not sure if he should go on.

"You what?" Teagan asked, raising her head.

"I kind of wanted to come, Avery said you wanted me to be here." Isaac admitted softly.

Teagan quickly turned her head to look at him but then groaned loudly in pain as she held onto her head from the sudden movement.

"Maybe you should lie down." Isaac offered.

She nodded and he stood up while she laid down on her side.

He started to walk away but she grabbed his hand, "Wait…"

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern lined his forehead.

"Please stay with me." She pleaded, with her eyes closed as she rested her other arm across her stomach.

Isaac wanted to stay with her, but he knew if his dad found out he was gone he'd be in a lot of trouble when he got home.

He opened his mouth to tell her he couldn't, but once she opened her eyes and looked up at him he said, "I'll stay."

He sat down with her and she smiled, "Thank you."

"Uh, yeah…" He said as he looked around the empty room.

"I think… you're a good friend, Isaac." Teagan mumbled softly as she started to drift off to sleep.

**~()~**

Avery leaned up against the outside of her bedroom door and looked around to make sure no one was following her or was around to see Derek.

"Hey! It's me, let me in!" Avery whisper yelled against her door.

She didn't hear anything from inside of her room.

"Derek!" She whisper yelled.

Quickly the door opened and she stumbled in.

Derek curled an arm around her to keep her up and shut the door behind her.

"You… move so fast sometimes, it makes my head spin." She said with a laugh as she clutched onto his arm.

Then she stopped laughing and groaned, "Never mind… it's the entire room that's spinning."

"How much did you have to drink?" He asked her, speaking quietly in case someone walked by the door.

"Maybe a few shots… and then a few more… and then some." She said, laughing again.

"Alright, come on." He said as he helped her over to the bed.

Once she lay down he scooted in beside her and pulled the blanket over her.

"I… I'm sorry I never made it back up here." She said as she turned on her stomach and faced away from him towards the wall.

"When did you almost kiss Stiles?" He asked her, he'd been listening to them talk.

She didn't responded.

"Avery?" He asked raising up and looking at her, but listening to her breathing he could tell she was sound asleep.

~()~

_Teagan didn't know how long she had been sleeping, mainly because she didn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing she really remembered was taking a lot of shots and doing a lot of dancing. _

_She danced with Danny mostly, since the other lacrosse players were too scared to go near her because of Jackson, but she had also danced with Stiles a few times too. The only one she really wanted to dance with but didn't was Isaac. _

_Sadly she didn't get to talk to him much which was a shame since that was pretty much the whole reason for the party; spending time with Isaac and figure out exactly what she was feeling._

_She remembered talking to him some when he first arrived, which was nice from what she remembered, then she vaguely remembered talking to him again at the end of the night, although she was having a hard time remembering what they talked about. _

_Coming out of her sleep, she groaned as she shifted around, trying to get comfortable and felt someone running their fingers through her hair. _

_For a moment she froze, worried about who it could be and what they had done to her until she had a quick flash of her asking Isaac to stay with her. _

_She softly sighed as a smile appeared on her face as she mumbled out, "You stayed."_

_"You asked me too." She heard Isaac softly say._

_She raised her head, realizing she had been laying on his chest as the two were laid out together on a couch. She smiled as she said, "I'm glad you stayed. I wanted you too."_

_"Don't you know I would do anything for you?" Isaac said, as he reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear as their eyes met. _

_She shook her head and felt her heart skip at his comment. He continued to look at her, his eyes roaming over every feature of her face like he was trying to memorize everything about her. _

_He reached up to rest a hand on her cheek, caressing her soft skin as he added, "Think back to every moment we have shared since you got back. Think back to every time I have been there for you. Are you honestly that surprised by my comment?"_

_She closed her eyes as she leaned into his touch for a moment, then she opened them to look at him as she said, "I guess I just didn't know how you felt. About me I mean."_

_"I'm crazy about you Teagan. I have been for years." Isaac admitted shyly then added, "I just didn't think you would ever notice me." _

_"I should have. I wished I had noticed you sooner Isaac and I'm sorry I haven't, but trust me, I definitely notice you now." Teagan said, smiling._

_Isaac smiled back at her comment and was surprised when she moved her face closer to his as she added, "And now that I have noticed you, I can't get you out of my mind."_

_"What are you going to do about that then?" Isaac asked, as he glanced down at her lips before looking back into her eyes. _

_"This." Teagan whispered, as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his for a gentle kiss. _

_As her lips moved against his, she heard a crashing noise all around them. She had no idea what the noise was and didn't care, the whole world could end right now and she wouldn't care. _

_All she wanted to do was keep kissing him and she would have until she felt a sharp pain on her head, causing her to cry out in pain. _

Teagan snapped her eyes open and screamed out when she saw Stiles standing above her with a guilty look on his face causing the pain in her head to intensify.

She laid a hand on her head as she mumbled, "What the hell Stiles?"

Stiles flashed her an apologetic smile as he held up the TV remote then said, "Sorry. I accidentally dropped the remote and it hit you on the head. Are you ok?"

"No." Teagan whined, as she sat up and continued to rub her head.

"I'm sorry." Stiles said again, then asked with a grin, "What were you dreaming about? You were making little happy noises. I thought only guys had wet dreams, but sounded like you were having one too."

Teagan blushed at his comment as she remembered her dream of kissing Isaac. Although as nice as the dream kiss felt, she couldn't stop feeling guilty. Sure she didn't actually cheat on Jackson, but it still wasn't good dream kissing another guy.

"It was a sex dream, wasn't it?" Stiles asked grinning when he saw her blush.

"No it wasn't." Teagan said, as she playfully slapped his shoulder.

If someone would have told her at the beginning of the year that she and Avery would have become friends with Stiles she wouldn't have believed it. Not because there was anything wrong with him, but because he wasn't part of their inner circle, but she was glad that he was a friend now.

"Who was it? Who were you dream sexing?" Stiles pushed.

"No one you pervert." Teagan said with a laugh.

"If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." Stiles offered.  
Teagan shot him a look, he didn't have to tell her who he dreamed about, she had a feeling it was about Avery.

"It's probably best you don't say her name. A certain someone might overhear and that could be bad for you." Teagan whispered to him.

Stiles looked up at the ceiling, knowing Derek was somewhere up there in Avery's bedroom. He gulped, hoping Derek was sleeping and not hearing his talk with Teagan.

"Good point." Stiles mumbled, as he lowered his head.

Teagan chuckled then asked with a yawn, "What time is it anyway?"

"A little after ten." Stiles answered, as he flipped through the channels.

Teagan glanced around the empty but trashed room then asked, "Is anyone else still here?"

Stiles shrugged as he said, "I haven't seen anyone. I think we're the only ones still here. Looks like everyone else who crashed already left."

"Everyone huh?" Teagan mumbled, feeling a little disappointed that Isaac was gone. Although she couldn't really blame him; she was probably acting very drunk and stupid the night before. She wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to talk to her again.

"Jackson never showed up?" Stiles asked her, thinking she was upset that her boyfriend never showed.

"I guess not." Teagan said, feeling guilt again at hearing his name. She was being really unfair to Jackson and herself, and as much as it was going to hurt, she knew what she had to do.

"Have you seen my phone?" Teagan asked Stiles, as she glanced around the coffee table in front of her after checking her pockets.

"I don't even know where my phone is." Stiles said back.

As if on cue, she heard her cellphone ringing and began to search for it, finding it under the couch cushions. She glanced at the caller id and saw it was Jackson calling her. She took a deep breath, it was now or never.

"Hey." Teagan said, as she answered the call.

She stood up from the couch and made her way out of the room for privacy as Jackson said, "Hey, come outside."

"What?" Teagan asked confused as she walked toward the front door. She peeked outside and saw Jackson parked out on the street, leaning against the passenger side door of his car.

Teagan slipped on a pair of Avery's flip flops that were by the door then ended the call as she walked outside and over to him. As she got closer he held out a grape flavor sports drink, the kind she always drank after a night of drinking. She softly smiled, happy that he remembered.

She took a big swallow of the drink, her throat extremely dry. She drank about half of it before lowering the bottle from her mouth and shot him a grateful smile.

"After the night you had I figured you needed that." Jackson joked.  
Teagan lowered her eyebrows in confusion then asked, "You were spying on me?"

"What? No! Some of the guys from the team just mentioned you drinking a lot last night. I was trying to do a nice thing." Jackson pointed out, then added, "What the hell is wrong with you lately? You haven't been yourself."

"I don't know." Teagan said honestly, as she rubbed her forehead, her head pounding.

"Look, I know a lot has happened to you lately and I'm trying to be as supportive as I can but I feel like the more I try to help, the more you push me away." Jackson explained.

"I don't know, I just feel... I feel like I can't breathe sometimes. I mean I'm glad you and even dad want to take care of me but I think... I think I need some space." Teagan said quietly, as she looked down at the ground as tears filled her eyes.

Jackson folded his arms across his chest and clenched his jaw in anger as he asked, "So what are you saying Teagan?"

"I think... I mean, I know I-I need a break." She said barely above a whisper, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Fine. Whatever you want." Jackson snapped, as he walked around his car to open the driver side door.

"What? That's all you have to say?" Teagan asked surprised, as she raised her head to look at him.

"What do you want me to say Teagan? Do you want me to beg you to stay with me?" Jackson snapped, then added, "Cause I'm not doing that. I'm not begging anyone, not even you."

"I still love you Jackson." She tearfully confessed.

"Apparently not enough." Jackson snapped, as he slide behind the wheel. He was telling the truth before, he wasn't going to beg anyone, besides he knew she would be back.

With tears falling down her face, she wrapped her arms around herself as she watched him drive away. She couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing but only time would tell.

**~()~**

Avery's eyes widened and she sat up in the bed, grabbing her head with a loud groan.

Derek looked over at her from where he was sitting in her computer chair at her desk.

"What the hell is that?" Avery complained about the loud noise that had startled her awake.

"Your phone." Derek said nodding to her.

She looked down as she mumbled "That's not my ringtone…"

Derek watched as she pulled a phone from her bra and looked at it confused.

"This is Stiles' phone." She said as she silenced the ringing and dropped it on the bed beside her.

Leaning off the side of the bed she hung her head and groaned again at her splitting headache.

"Why was Stiles' phone in your bra?" Derek asked her.

"I have no idea… and I also don't know where my phone went that was in my bra." She said with a shrug as she got up and stumbled over to her closet grabbing clean clothes and then headed into the bathroom.

Close to 30 minutes later she emerged wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, her hair was brushed and down, and she'd washed the make-up off from the night before and brushed her teeth.

"Feel better?" Derek asked as he watched her head towards the bedroom door.

"Not really. I'm gonna get something to drink, lock the doors and pull all the curtains shut so you can come downstairs." She said as she walked out of her room and pulled the door shut behind her.

Rubbing her forehead and vowing to never drink again she headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, she looked at an open box of cereal on the counter.

Shrugging she grabbed a Gatorade from the refrigerator and walked around the house shutting all the curtains and locking the doors.

The police occasionally watched Avery's house to see if there was any sign of Derek.

Walking into the 2nd living room she stopped and stared at Stile who was sitting on the couch watching the large screen T.V. and eating a bowl of cereal.

She watched as he picked up the carton of milk and drank from it.

"Who else is still here?" Avery asked as she shook her head at him.

"Hey, morning." He greeted with a wide smile.

"It's after 1 in the afternoon. Who else is still here?" She repeated her question.

"I think I'm the last one, I haven't seen anyone else since Teagan left a few hours ago." He admitted, as he took a bite of the cereal.

"Oh…" She said looking around the trashed room.

Walking over she sat down on the couch beside him and took another drink of her Gatorade.

"When's your dad coming back from vacation?" He questioned.

"Tomorrow." Avery admitted as she watched T.V.

Stiles looked over at her and his eyes widened.

She looked back at him, her eyes widening from his expression.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing… I, I 've just never seen you without any make-up on." He admitted, smiling.

Avery avoided his eyes as she turned her head and looked away from him.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way." He quickly said.

"You don't need all the make-up, I think you look really beautiful without it." He added.

She turned her head and looked at him, "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah." He said, nodding.

"Thank you…" She said quietly as she watched him sit his empty cereal bowl down on the table.

"Did you lose your keys?" she asked.

"No…" He said.

"Oh, did you just wake up?" She continued to question him.

"No, I woke up at like 9:30 this morning." He answered.

"Stiles, I'm not trying to be rude… but why are you still here?" She finally asked.

He laughed as he said, "I got to spend the night at Avery Dukate's house."

She nodded and laughed, she really couldn't deny that she liked the attention from him.

"You might want to get going though." She said pointing towards the ceiling.

"Why? Derek can't come down here…" Stiles voice trailed off as Derek walked in the room with them.

"There's no one else here." Avery pointed out.

Derek crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame of the room.

After a few moments of awkward silence Stiles said, "Well, I should probably go…"

"Thanks for coming to the party." Avery said as she stood from the couch when he did.

"Yeah… it was awesome." Stiles said smiling at her.

As he walked past Derek, he said "Stiles."

"I was kidding I didn't have a wet dream about her." Stiles quickly said as he turned around and looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" Derek asked him confused.

"You had a sex dream about me?" Avery asked walking up to them, a smug smile on her face.

"No… I was kidding." He said, mentally kicking himself.

He'd thought Derek had overheard his conversation with Teagan earlier that day.

"Here." Derek said as he handed Stiles his cellphone.

"My phone! Where'd you find it?" He asked him.

Derek glanced over at Avery who started laughing.

"What?" Stiles asked them confused.

"In my bra." Avery finally admitted.

His eyes widened, "My phone… was in your bra. It touched your…" He stammered looking down to the phone.

"Your phones gotten farther than you have…" Avery said with a laugh.

Looking at Derek he said, "I don't know how it ended up in there…"

"Just go." Derek said, nodding towards the hallway.

"I'm just gonna go…" Stiles said looking back down to his phone before he walked down the hallway and left.

**~(The next day)~**

Avery headed down the stairs when she heard the door open.

"Hey dad." She greeted with a smile.

"Hi Avery." Richard greeted back, a little surprised she met him at the door.

"How was vacation?" She asked him.

He glanced around the entryway of the house, "It was nice…" he said.

"How was your week?" He asked, not sure why she was talking to him.

"You're going to have some messages from the police…" She said.

"What?" Richard asked.

"There was an incident at the school while you were gone. My friends and I got locked in the building after hours and someone killed the janitor while we were there." Avery explained.

His jaw dropped.

"But I'm fine, I'm not hurt at all." She said as she motioned to herself.

"Avery… oh my god." He said shaking his head back and forth.

"The police are looking for Derek, they think that he did it." Avery continued to explained.

"Derek Hale, as in your Derek… the Derek you've been dating?" Richard slowly said, his mind was still reeling from everything she'd told him.

"Yes, my Derek. But dad, he didn't do it." Avery said taking a few steps forward.

"Has he hurt you?" Richard asked.

"Dad this is me… you really think I'd let a guy get away with hurting me?" She asked with a small laugh.

"This is serious Avery, has he hurt you at all?" He asked.

Avery looked at him, shocked at the look of genuine concern on his face.

"Never." Avery assured him.

"He seems like a pretty good guy." He said nodding, and hoping Avery was telling him the truth.

She smiled a beaming smile and nodded.

"So, you're getting pretty serious about him then…" Richard said. He'd never seen Avery with the same guy for so long.

Taking a deep breath Avery said, "I love him."

The end of her sentence was cut off by her dad's work phone ringing from his pocket.

Avery started to turn and head back up the stairs but stopped when the ringing came to abrupt stop and her dad said, "You love him?"

Turning around Avery stared at him wide eyed.

"That's what you said isn't it?" He asked when she didn't respond.

She nodded still in disbelief he'd ignored a work call for her.

Running a hand through his hair he took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he said, "Wow, that's uh, that's really… really serious, then?"

She bit down on her bottom lip, wondering what he was going to say.

"You know, I was just a little bit older than you when I met your mother." He said quietly.

"Really?" Avery asked him.

"Yeah, I was 19 and she'd just turned 17." He answered as he swallowed hard.

"I never knew that…" Avery admitted.

She thought of when she'd thought Derek was dead and she couldn't even stay in her own room because it reminded her of him.

"You look just like her, just as beautiful." He continued, as he smiled at her.

Avery managed to smile back but tears burnt at her eyes. That was the most he'd ever talked about her mom.

Clearing his throat he said, "Well, I'd better go get unpacked."

"Yeah, of course." Avery said, her voice a little hoarse as he started down the hallway.

"Hey dad…" She called after him.

"Yeah?" He asked as he turned around.

"You kept asking me if I was okay before you left. I am, I'm really doing okay." She said.

He smiled at her before he walked into his room.

* * *

**A/N- Hope you all liked the chapter. ^_^**

**So now Teagan's having dreams about Isaac and she broke up with Jackson... thoughts?**

**New episode of Teen Wolf tonight!**

**If you haven't yet you should check out Miss E Charlotte's page and her other stories. You won't regret it. ^_^**

**We really appreciate your support and feedback, so please don't be silent reader. Take the time to leave a review and let us know you're still following the story.**


	30. Trade All Of My Tomorrows

**Trade All Of My Tomorrows- Chapter 30**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

After Avery's big party, Teagan spent the rest of the weekend hiding out in her bedroom, recovering from the party but mostly thinking. Wondering if she made the right decision in breaking up with Jackson, trying to figure out the new feelings that had appeared because of Isaac and of course all the werewolf stuff was still heavily on her mind.

But now it was the start of a new school week and somehow she made it through the day, although it was probably because she tried her best to avoid everyone and everything.

She even went as far as spending her lunch period in the library, telling Avery she had some work to catch up on, when in reality she wasn't ready to see Jackson yet.

Even though the break was her idea, she wasn't sure if she could look at him without taking it all back.

She missed him a lot and at the moment she just wanted to put him out of her mind, which was why she still had not even told Avery about the break up yet, well that reason and because she didn't want to bring her best friend down, who was currently on cloud nine in her relationship with Derek.

As the two girls walked down the hallway towards their lockers at the end of the day, Teagan softly smiled as Avery gushed happily about her boyfriend.

She might not completely trust Derek, but she was happy for Avery. Her best friend deserved the best and as long as he was the best for her, then Teagan wouldn't stand in the way of that happiness.

"Ok T, seriously, what is up with you today?" Avery asked, as she glanced over at her silent friend.

"Nothing, I was just listening to you talk." Teagan said as she stopped in front of her locker and opened the door.

"And I appreciate that but even I am getting tired of hearing me go on and on about... you know who." Avery joked, not wanting to say Derek's name out loud.

She leaned against the locker beside Teagan's then said, "So please tell me something about you. Did you have fun at the party? Did it help you figure out things? Did you have fun with Isaac? Hell I'll even take a Jackson story, just talk, I can't deal with a quiet Teagan."

"Uh yeah, the party was great. I'm um, still not completely sure about things but I did make a decision on something. Just not sure if it's the right one yet or not." Teagan said softly, as she closed her locker door.

"What do you mean?" Avery asked her confused.

Teagan looked down at the floor as she felt tears fill her eyes and said barely above a whisper, "I broke up with Jackson."

"Wait, what? When did this happen?" Avery asked shocked.

"The next morning. After the party." Teagan said as a tear rolled down her face.

She wiped it away then added, "He came by and I told him I needed a break."

"I'm sorry." Avery said, as she wrapped her arms around her to hug her. She knew that had to be hard for Teagan to do because she knew how much she loves Jackson.

Teagan dropped her book bag as she wrapped her arms around Avery, returning the hug and rested her head on Avery's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have been there for you, you shouldn't have to deal with this alone." Avery said.

Teagan shrugged then said, "You were so happy with... you know and I didn't want to bring you down."

"Hey, you're my best friend, you're down, I'm down." Avery said, as she hugged her again.

"This isn't like the Titanic, you know the whole you jump, I jump thing." Teagan joked, then added, "I don't want you to be down, I want you to be happy. You deserve it."

"You know this sucks. Why can't we both be happy at the same time?" Avery asked.

"I dunno, I guess it's against the law or something." Teagan said with a shrug.

Avery opened her mouth to say something but before she could they heard a loud cheering at the end of the hall. The two girls looked in the direction of the noise and saw Stiles slide across the hall with his arms in the air as he cheered happily.

When he saw the two girls he began to run over towards them calling out their names.

"Speaking of being happy, what is up with him?" Avery asked with a laugh.

"Hey, you two will never guess who is starting in the next game." Stiles said with a huge grin, as he stopped in front of them.

"Greenberg?" Teagan guessed.

"Our mascot?" Avery added.

"Do we even have a mascot?" Teagan asked her.

"You know, I actually don't even know." Avery answered.

Stiles mouth dropped open as he watched them chat back and forth until he cleared his throat and waited till they looked at him then said, "Hi, hello, remember me? The one with the big, huge news."

"Right, sorry." Teagan said.

"Carry on." Avery added.

"I'm starting in the next game." Stiles said, grinning again.

"That's great." Teagan said smiling.

"Yeah, it really is Stiles. So your first line now?" Avery asked.

"Well not exactly. Apparently there was a pinkeye epidemic so coach is bringing a few of us off the bench." Stiles explained, then added, "although technically coach didn't say Stilinski, he said Bilinski but close enough. So call me Biles around the coach ok?"

"He called you by the wrong name?" Avery asked with laugh.

"Yeah, but I don't care cause I'm playing in the game." Stiles said happily.

"We're happy for you Stiles, really." Teagan said.

"You two are coming right?" Stiles asked them nervously.

"Of course, we'll be your own private cheerleaders." Avery said, as Teagan nodded her head to agree.

Stiles mouth fell open as he began to stutter, his mind going to a very dirty place.

"Oh no. You shouldn't have said that A. I guarantee you he is thinking dirty thoughts." Teagan said, as both girls watched his eyes glaze over.

"Yep, we lost him." Avery said with a laugh. Then an idea hit her, she looked over at Teagan with an evil grin, as she stepped closer to Stiles to whisper in his ear.

"Hey Stiles?" Avery purred.

"Uh, yeah?" Stiles asked, as he looked over at her, surprised to see her so close to him.

"Are you thinking naughty things about me right now?" Avery asked.

"O-of course not." Stiles lied.

"Right." Avery said not believing him, then added, "So you're not imagining me in a short, little cheerleading uniform screaming out your name right now?"

"No. You are not wearing a cheerleader uniform in my mind right now." Stiles said, then added, "Only the skirt and a bra."

"Oh my God." Teagan said with a laugh, as she bent down to pick up her fallen book bag from earlier.

"What color bra?" Avery asked, curious.

"You did not just seriously ask him that." Teagan said with another laugh.

"What? If he's going to fantasize about me I want to know everything." Avery said like it was no big deal.

"A black lace one with little red hearts." Stiles answered.

"I actually have a bra like that." Avery said surprised.

"I know." Stiles said without thinking.

"How do you know?" Teagan asked, laughing.

"Stiles have you been digging around in my underwear drawer or something?" Avery asked, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"No!" Stiles answered, then explained, "One day when you were talking to me and you bent over to get something and I saw a peek of your bra."

When both girls shot him a look he threw his hands up then said, "What? It's not my fault. I'm a guy, I can't help it. A hot girl bends over and my eyes automatically look down her shirt."

"Nice bra by the way Teagan, although I never would have imagined you wearing a leopard print one, I figured that would be more Avery's style." Stiles said without thinking.

"Oh my God, Stiles!" Teagan called out, as she slapped his shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I told you I can't help it. It's a sickness." Stiles said, as he tried to block her next hit.

"No you're just sick." Teagan said back, as she slapped him again.

"Is that the bra I sent you last year for your birthday?" Avery asked, as she pulled out Teagan's shirt to look down it.

"Avery!" Teagan gasped, as she pushed her shirt back down.

"What? I just wanted to see if it was the one I got you or not." Avery said, like it was no big deal.

"It's pink and black." Stiles said.

"Yep, that is the one then." Avery said.

"Ok can you two stop talking about my bra. It's just a bra, see." Teagan snapped, as she lifted up her shirt to show them thankful that the hallway was empty except for them or at least she thought so until she heard the sound of clapping and cheering.

"Oh God." Teagan mumbled, dreading what she would see when she lowered her shirt. She saw Stiles' eyes bug out while Avery was trying to contain her laughter.

Slowly she lowered her shirt and felt her face heat up when she saw a small group of lacrosse players down the hall that had seen her little flash, including Jackson and Isaac.

Thankfully Isaac looked away, but the rest of the guys were still cheering until Jackson shot them a look. Only then did they turn away and begin to walk down the hall.

Isaac looked back over toward her, feeling bad for her and wishing he could just walk over and comfort her, but wasn't sure if they were the type of friends who did that.

Jackson looked in between her and Isaac, not liking what he saw then shot Isaac a look, causing him to quickly look away from Teagan before following the rest of the players down the hall.

"What's going on here? Why are you all not on the field?" Coach Finstock said, as he walked over towards Jackson. He looked down the hall to see Stiles then said, "Come on Bilinski. Practice, now!"

Stiles waved at the girls then quickly ran over toward the coach and Jackson. When he got close to Jackson, he made a move toward Stiles like he was going to hit him, scaring the boy and causing him to run down the hall, almost tripping on his own feet.

Jackson looked back over at Teagan one more time as he shook his head in disappointment before walking down the hall behind the coach.

"Well that's one way to move on. Flash the lacrosse team." Avery joked as she looked over at Teagan.

"Ugh, can this day get any worse?" Teagan mumbled, as she walked down the hallway just wanting to go home and forget the whole day.

**~(A few days later)~**

Before long it was the end of the week and excitement was in the air for the upcoming game. Stiles had still been talking all week about playing in game and as much as Avery was happy about it, she was growing a little tired of hearing about it and decided to sit somewhere else for lunch.

After grabbing a pre-made salad and bottle of water, she glanced around the room until her eyes landed on Isaac, who was eating lunch alone as usual.

With Teagan still hiding out in the library at lunch like she had been doing all week, Avery decided to check in on Isaac and eat lunch with him like she told him she would do now that they were friends.

She made her way toward his table, causing him to look up when he heard her high heels clicking against the floor as she got closer to him. She sat her food down on the table and went to grab the only chair that was across from him until a jock from the lacrosse team reached for the chair at the same time.

Isaac slowly chewed his food as he waited to see what she would do and he didn't have long to wait as Avery pulled the chair towards her and said, "This seat is taken."

"We need it, for the popular table." The jock said back, as he nodded his head across the room where Jackson and a group of his friends were sitting. Then he added, "You know how it works Avery. We steal chairs from the loser tables. That's how it's always been."

Avery glanced over at the table, ignoring the dirty look Jackson was giving her, things had not been the same between them since the attack at school which he still blamed her for. Plus she wouldn't be surprised if he somehow blamed her for Teagan dumping his ass.

She looked back at the jock then said, "Are you sure that's a popular table? Cause it looks like a big group of losers to me."

"This actually looks like a cool table; this one right here with me and my friend Isaac." She said, as she placed a hand on the table and smiled, causing Isaac to chuckle.

At hearing him laugh, the jock looked at Isaac and said, "It doesn't matter who you talk to in this school, you'll still be a loser."

"And it doesn't matter how popular you are, cause in a few years you're going to be pumping our gas after you flunk out of college." Avery snapped back at him.

"You're assuming he'll even graduate high school." Isaac added quietly, surprising Avery and the jock. Avery smiled proudly, maybe she was starting to rub off on him, but the latter was not amused.

"Just wait till the game tonight Lahey, your ass is mine." The jock snapped as he walked away.

Avery laughed out loud as she sat down in the chair, she held up her hand, expecting Isaac to slap her hand but instead saw a worried look on his face.

She dropped her hand then said, "Hey don't worry about him. With his pea sized brain I bet by tonight he will have forgotten all about this conversation."

Isaac nodded his head, hoping she was right, but fearing she was wrong. He was already on Jackson and his friends bad side and knew he just made it worse.

"You know I got to say, I didn't think you had it in you Isaac, but you are becoming a little bad-ass." Avery said, then added, "Looks like my words have reached you, you are finally grabbing life by the balls."

Isaac shook his head then said, "All I did was make them hate me more."

Avery glanced over her shoulder at the jock table and saw Jackson shooting a dirty look to Isaac. She sighed then turned back to look at Isaac as she said, "Sadly, Jackson is going to hate you regardless, but that has nothing to do with you personally. He's just jealous."

"Right. Jackson is jealous of me." Isaac said with a disbelieving scoff.

"He is." Avery argued.

"Jackson has always got everything he wants." Isaac pointed out, as Teagan crossed his mind. He shook his head, trying not to think about her any further then added, "I have nothing for him to be jealous about."

"You got one thing." Avery said smiling, then added when he shot her a confused look, "You've got Teagan's attention and Jackson really hates that."

"Yeah but he's got Teagan." Isaac said disappointingly.

"Wow, you are so behind on the gossip." Avery said, then leaned closer to Isaac as she added, "Here's the latest Isaac, Teagan broke up with Jackson."

"What? When?" Isaac asked surprised, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Right after my party." Avery answered, then added, "So now the question is, what are you going to do? Keep sitting on the sidelines or get in the game?"

"Let me guess, we're not talking about lacrosse are we?" Isaac asked.

Avery laughed as she shook her head and said, "You know exactly what I am talking about Isaac."

Isaac leaned towards her as he said quietly, "I-I can't just ask her out. They just broke up."

"So? It's not like she's in mourning. No one died here Isaac." Avery joked, then added, "just ask her out for a celebratory dinner after the game tonight."

"I-I can't." Isaac mumbled as he looked down at the table at his food, his appetite suddenly gone.

"You can stand up to a jock, which is something you wouldn't even dream of doing last week, but you can't ask out my amazingly awesome friend?" Avery asked.

Isaac kept his head down as he shook his head 'no'.

"Why not?" Avery asked softly, feeling bad for him.

"I'm not good enough for her." Isaac admitted shyly, repeating what his dad had been telling him his whole life, he wasn't good enough for anyone or anything.

"Isaac, look at me." Avery said.

He slowly glanced up, scared she was going to chew him out, but instead she said, "If I didn't think you were good enough for her, I wouldn't be here pushing you to go after her."

"Teagan is my best friend, she's like a sister to me and I love her to death. I want her to have nothing but the best cause that is what she deserves." Avery said, then added, "She deserves someone like you, someone who I know cares about her and will be there for her, but if I'm wrong and that's not you then that's ok. Then that just means there is someone else for her. I mean there is always Danny."

"I thought Danny was gay." Isaac asked confused.

"Well yeah, but I mean, he has always had a crush on Teagan and has always said he would go straight for her." Avery lied.

"Really?" Isaac asked, a heartbroken expression on his face.

"No, not really." Avery said laughing, then added, "But how did it make you feel when I said that?"

"You were testing me?" Isaac asked.

Avery smiled as she nodded her head then asked again, "How did that make you feel?"

"Devastated." Isaac answered simply.

"And that right there is how I know you are good enough for her. You care for her Isaac and that is what she needs." Avery pointed out.

"I still don't think I can just ask her out." Isaac said.

"Ok, well, just take baby steps. Just talk to her, flirt it up a little, see how she feels." Avery suggested.

"You don't know how she feels? A-About me, I mean." Isaac asked a little disappointed. If Teagan didn't tell her best friend how she felt then that must mean she doesn't feel anything for him. He knew girls shared everything.

"I know some things, but I can't tell you what she is thinking or feeling Isaac. It's against girl code, you have to find out yourself." Avery explained.

"So just talk to her? That's it?" Isaac asked. Maybe he could handle just talking to her, he had talked to her before so it couldn't be to hard right?

Avery nodded as the bell rang, then said, "Yeah, just talk."

"I can do that." Isaac said, trying to sound stronger than he felt.

"I know you can." Avery said, as she stood up and gathered up their trash.

"Good luck." She wished him, as she walked towards a trash can to throw everything away and leave the cafeteria.

Isaac looked down at the table as his nerves hit him. It was easy to say he would go after Teagan with Avery near, she was always so confident that it kind of rubbed off on him while she built him up, but when he was left alone with his own thoughts he wasn't sure if he could do it.

Teagan wasn't just some girl, she was the girl he had been dreaming about for years.

Even after she moved and he thought he would never see her again, he still dreamed about her then one day she came back. That had to mean something right? Something was working in his favor, plus he had her best friend pushing him to go after her, that had to mean something too.

He looked up and saw Jackson shooting him a mean look again and thought back to what Avery just told him about Teagan breaking up with Jackson.

For a moment he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of him. Maybe it was because of him and deep down Jackson knew it too and that was why he hated him so much.

With that thought in mind Isaac couldn't help but softly smirk back at Jackson. He knew that was probably a huge mistake because he knew it might lead to an ass kicking on the field that night, but at the moment he didn't care. He was ready to leave the sidelines and join the game.

* * *

**A/N- Hope you all liked the chapter! We're getting pretty close to wrapping up season 1! ^_^**

******I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having so much fun working together on writing this and your kind words and support mean so much to us!**


	31. Half Time

**Half Time- Chapter 31**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Later that afternoon, after the last bell of the day Isaac was walking down the hallway toward the parking lot to grab his bike, he needed to get to the cemetery and do his job as fast as he could.

He had to make it back to the school in time for the game.

He quickly turned a corner and came to a stop when he saw Teagan down the hall at her locker.

He stood still for a moment and just watched her as she changed out her books.

He continued to watch as a few guys from the team walked by and whistled at her. He also saw them say something, causing her to yell at them to leave her alone, but he couldn't hear what they said.

He felt anger come over him as he watched the guys walk away laughing. A part of him wanting to go after them, but a bigger part wanted to check on her.

She was more important than telling off a few dumb jocks.

Isaac walked up behind her and cleared his throat as he went to speak to her, but before he could say a word, she turned around as she called out, "Listen assholes I said..."

When she saw it was Isaac and not the jocks behind her, she quickly apologized as her face heated up. She couldn't believe she had just done that.

She laid her hands on her cheeks as she slowly shook her head and said, "Isaac, I am so sorry, I didn't know it was you behind me, I thought..."

"It's ok." Isaac said interrupting her, then added, "I saw those guys bugging you and wanted to see if you were ok."

"I am, thanks." She said with a smile as she bent over to grab her book bag from the floor.

"What's their problem anyway?" Isaac asked as he nodded his head in the direction they had left in.

"They've been making snide remarks all week cause of the whole flashing incident." Teagan answered, her cheeks turning red again.

"They're jerks, just ignore them." Isaac said, then added, "although if you don't mind me asking, what happened? W-why did you do that?"

"Cause I'm stupid." Teagan mumbled, then explained, "Avery and Stiles kept going on about my bra, wanting to know what it looked like and I got tired of the questions so I just showed them to shut them up and I assumed the hall was empty but I was wrong."

Isaac nodded his head then said, "Sounds like only part of a crazy conversation."

"It was a crazy conversation." Teagan agreed with a laugh, then added, "For some crazy reason Stiles was going on about how anytime a girl bends over he automatically looks down their shirt. He claims he can't help it, but that's just crazy. He's crazy."

"That is crazy." Isaac admitted.

"Thank you!" Teagan called out, glad someone agreed with her.

"I mean why look down every shirt? Just look down the cute one's shirts." Isaac joked.

"You do it too?" Teagan asked with a laugh.

"We can't help it. It just happens." Isaac answered with a shrug.

Teagan shook her head and laughed at the comment then stopped when a thought hit her, she looked over at him then said, "Wait a minute. I just bent down in front of you, did you check me out?"

"No." Isaac lied.

"So you didn't see my bra?" She questioned him.

"No, I did not see your polka dot bra." Isaac said back without thinking.

Teagan's mouth dropped open in surprise before she started to laugh then said, "I never said it had polka dots, Isaac."

She laughed harder when she saw his face turn red, it actually didn't bother her to know he was checking her out. She actually liked knowing that he did, just knowing that he was looking at her like that caused the familiar flutter in her stomach.

"Wow never thought I would say it, but you are just as perverted as Stiles." Teagan joked.

"Sorry." Isaac said with a laugh, as he ran a hand over his hair.

Teagan shrugged with a little smile as she said, "To be honest though, I would rather it be you looking at my bra than Stiles."

"Really?" Isaac asked surprised, a wide smile on his face.

She nodded her head then pointed a finger at him as she playfully warned, "But that doesn't give you permission to keep doing it."

"I won't look again." Isaac said, as he held up his hands in surrender.

"Good cause who knows next time I might not even have on a bra." Teagan teased.

Isaac felt a chill down his spine at the thought of seeing her like that. She glanced over at him and smirked at his expression.

She knew what that look meant.

When Isaac noticed her looking at him, he cleared his throat then said, "If you want me to stop looking down your shirt, that is not the way to do it. That only makes me want to look more."

Teagan raised her eyebrows in surprise at his comment then bit her bottom lip as she began to smile. She couldn't believe she was actually flirting with Isaac and he was flirting back. It just happened so easily and it was something she could get used to.

Like her, Isaac couldn't believe the way the conversation was heading either.

He remembered Avery telling him to just talk to her and flirt a little, but he never thought he would be brave enough to do that, but somehow it just happened and now that he started he couldn't stop.

"Well you never know, I might just surprise you one day." Teagan teased, then laughed when he glanced down at the floor with a smile on his face.

She continued to laugh until she heard a locker door shut down the hall. She turned to look and froze when she saw Jackson laughing with Allison.

She lowered her eyebrows and felt her heart break a little when Jackson took Allison's books from her hand before the two began to walk down the hall together.

When he heard her stop laughing, Isaac looked up and saw her face fall as she looked at something down the hall.

He turned his head and saw exactly what was bothering her. He turned back to look at her and hated to see the sad look upon her face.

"You ok?" Isaac asked her, as he thought about reaching out to squeeze her hand then changed his mind.

She turned back to look at Isaac with a fake smile on her face as she said, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"I uh, I heard you two broke up." Isaac said, then added sincerely, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks." She whispered.

"You sure you're ok? Cause if you need a friend, you know someone to talk to, I'm uh, I'm here for you." Isaac said shyly.

Teagan sighed as she leaned back against her locker then said, "Trust me if I told you everything that was running through my head you would run away screaming."

"I would never run from you Teagan." Isaac said honestly, his eyes locked with hers.

Teagan smiled at his words then surprised them both when she took a step toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.

Isaac froze for a moment unsure of what to do and made her think she had made a huge mistake.

She was about to take a step back when she finally felt him wrap his arms around her. She softly smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying his comfort.

He kept one arm wrapped around her waist as he used his other hand to cradle the back of her head as he rested his chin on top of her head and slowly swayed them back and forth.

For once in his life things felt good.

Holding her the way he was; the way he had dreamed, made everything feel right. Like as long as he could hold her everything would be ok.

He could just forget about his crappy home life, forget about his crappy life and feel like he'd finally found something he had been looking for.

Somewhere he belonged.

**~()~**

"I should have just stayed home…" Teagan mumbled as she walked towards the bleachers arm in arm with Avery.

"Teagan, it was just your bra. And I can guarantee you more guys on the team have seen my bra than saw yours." Avery said looking over at her with arched eyebrows.

"I thought we weren't allowed to talk about '_that Avery'_ anymore" Teagan said with finger quotations, meaning the years that Avery had slept with quite a few guys.

"We can bring up '_that Avery' _when it's needed to prove a point." Avery replied, using her own set of finger quotations.

Teagan laughed but then shifted uncomfortably as a few of the guys on the team looked over at her and smiled as they nudged each other and nodded at her.

"Oh my god…" Teagan mumbled again.

"Alright here, hold this." Avery said as she handed Teagan her purse.

"What are you doing?" Teagan asked as Avery un-zipped her leather jacket.

"I'm going to flash the team." She stated as she unzipped the thin sweatshirt she had on under it.

"Don't!" Teagan exclaimed as she jumped in front of Avery before she could pull her tight black tank top up.

"Then cheer up, I hate when you're mopey." Avery said with raised eyebrows.

"It was only one small incident, right? And it was just my bra, not like I flashed –flashed them." Teagan said nodding as she took a few deep breaths.

"Thank you. If word got back to Derek, I flashed the whole team I don't think he'd be too happy." Avery said with a small laugh as she shivered and zipped her jackets back up.

The girls took their seats on the bleachers and huddled together in the cold evening air.

"Where's Stiles?" Teagan asked.

"Helping Derek with something, they're trying to figure out who sent you and Allison those fake texts." Avery whispered into her friend's ear.

"Oh…" Teagan said her eyes wide as she thought back to the night they'd all been chased around the school by the alpha.

"I hope Stiles makes it back before the start of the game though, if not coach won't let him play." Avery said, smiling as she thought of how excited Stiles had been for the game.

The girls talked quietly amongst themselves as they continued to huddle together and shiver as the night only got colder and the game started.

"Isaac is doing really good!" Teagan happily exclaimed, as she clapped and cheered loudly when Isaac scored.

"I think he knows you're watching him…" Avery said winking at Teagan as she playfully nudged her.

Teagan rolled her eyes at Avery's comment but smiled as she saw Isaac pause to look back at the stands where the girls were.

When he scored another shot for the team, both girls jumped up and cheered loudly.

Jackson looked up at the stands, anger in his eyes as he watched Teagan cheer on Lahey.

He'd been wondering if Teagan had decided she wanted a break because of him, he'd seen them talking a lot more.

And ever since Avery had started sitting with Isaac at lunch, he'd been getting a little more popular.

He angrily shook his head and threw his stick down on the ground as he took his helmet off and glared at Teagan and Avery.

Then his eyes moved across the stands to where Allison was sitting in the front row.

Jackson had been talking to Allison a lot lately. He'd been trying to show Scott how easily he could get to her, if he didn't help him get the bite to be turned into a werewolf.

A bonus to spending all that time with Allison was that Jackson thought he was also making Teagan jealous.

Once it was half-time, he jogged over to where Allison was at on the bleachers and started to talk to her, openly flirting when he knew Teagan was watching him.

"Just ignore that ass." Avery said as she wrapped an arm around her best friend to give her a half hug.

"He's flirting with her…" Teagan said with a small sigh as she leaned into Avery's hug.

"I know you still love him. But trust me, this whole 'flirting with other girls' thing is just his way of trying to heal his bruised male ego. He has to still feel wanted." Avery said.

Teagan nodded and told herself not to stare at Jackson while he was trying to make her jealous.

"You want me to flip him off?" Avery asked as she narrowed her eyes and shot Jackson a hateful look when he glanced up at them.

"No!" Teagan quickly said, grabbing her friends arm before she gave him the middle finger.

The game started back up and Teagan continued to watch Isaac play, he was doing amazing in the game.

When he scored another shot for the team, Teagan jumped up and cheered loudly as she called his name.

He looked towards the stands and smiled widely as he saw Teagan cheering for him.

When Teagan sat back down she looked over to Avery who was 5 shades paler than she had been a few moments ago.

"What's wrong?" Teagan asked alarmed.

"I have to go." Avery said as she stood up and rushed down the bleachers and out towards the parking lot.

"What's going on?" Teagan asked running to catch up with her .

"Stiles called me. He and Derek got attacked, the alpha is Derek's Uncle Peter." She whispered as she swallowed hard.

"Oh my god! But Stiles called so they made it out okay, right?" Teagan asked, her tone hopeful.

"Stiles made it out…" Avery filled her in.

"I have to go to the hospital." Avery said.

"You can't just walk in there!" Teagan pleaded as she grabbed Avery's arm.

"I have to make sure Derek's okay, T." Avery argued.

"But…" Teagan started to protest again.

"I love him." Avery reminded her.

"Then I'll come with you." Teagan bravely said, barely able to believe the words that left her own mouth.

"I need you to stay here and cheer Isaac on, I'll be fine." Avery said as she put her hands on her friends shoulders and faced her.

"I'm not letting you go alone!" Teagan exclaimed, her brown eyes wide with fear.

"I will be fine. Please T, I know more about this werewolf stuff than you do. I need to go, but you have to stay here. Trust me." Avery pleaded with her.

Teagan was going to continue to argue, but then her mind flashed back to the night in the video store.

She wasn't ready to face the alpha again; truth was she was still having nightmares over her near- death experience.

"Promise me you won't put yourself in danger; if something happens you'll get yourself out." Teagan said.

Avery breathed a sigh of relief that Teagan was done arguing with her.

"I promise. Now, go cheer on Isaac and have fun." Avery called over her shoulder as she unlocked her car and got in.

**~()~**

Teagan sat in the stands nervously for the rest of the game. Then afterwards while everyone else was celebrating the win, she made her way towards the empty parking lot.

She kept glancing down at her cellphone, hoping Avery would call, text or something but the longer her phone stayed silent, the more worried she became.

When she heard a vehicle turn into the parking lot she jerked her head up to look and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Stiles.

She looked back over at the entrance hoping Avery was going to pull in right behind him but when she didn't see her car or any car at all, Teagan ran across the parking lot to talk to Stiles, who was just getting out of his Jeep.

She yelled out his name, taking him my surprise as he tripped on his own feet and crashed into his Jeep. He quickly stood up straight and looked over at her with his trademark goofy grin as she caught up to him.

"Where's Avery?" Teagan asked.

"What do you mean where is she? She's here at the game with you, right?" Stiles asked, his heart starting to race with worry.

"No, after you called and told her about you know who being the you know what and that the other person who can't be named is still at the place with the you know who that you two had went to earlier she left to go to that place." Teagan explained.

"She went with who to what and why? I'm confused." Stiles said, trying to make sense of what she said.

Teagan threw her head back and took a deep breath to control her anger, then she took a step toward him, scaring him as he jumped back and slammed into the Jeep.

She gave him a weird look then said, "I wasn't going to hurt you Stiles. I just got closer so I can explain things again quietly so others can't hear."

"I knew that. I'm not scared of you Teagan. Avery yes, but not you, you're too nice to hurt someone." Stiles said.

"Oh, I can be mean and you will see me be mean if something happens to Avery because you called her and told her Derek was in danger." Teagan snapped, then added, "You know if you tell her something like that she is going to go run and save him."

"I told her not to go. I only told her because she promised she wouldn't go to the hospital." Stiles argued.

"Look Stiles, I know you care about her and I'm even glad you are in her life now but up until recently you didn't even really know Avery. You've only admired her from afar." Teagan began to explain, then added, "But I do know her and when she loves someone she will walk through Hell to save them. It doesn't matter what she says or what she promises, she will do whatever to save them and you can't stop her."

"I'll do whatever I have to for the ones I care about too." Stiles said with a determined look, then added, "Which is why I'm going to go save her."

He didn't say anything else as he opened his car door and saw Teagan running over to the passenger side. He leaned over and locked the door before she could open it.

"What are you doing?" Teagan asked surprised.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked back.

"I'm going with you." Teagan answered, as she tried to open the door again.

Stiles shook his head as he said, "No, I already put one of you in danger and I'm not doing that again. Besides Avery would kill me if something happened to you."

"Stiles..." Teagan began to say, as tears filled her eyes.

"I promise you, she'll be ok. I'll make sure of it." Stiles promised her.

Teagan nodded her head as she said, "Just bring her home Stiles."

Stiles nodded his head back as he cranked up his Jeep and quickly backed up, speeding out of the parking lot and heading back toward the hospital.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! ^_^ I really hope you all liked the chapter.**

**If you haven't checked out Miss E Charlotte's page yet, you really should. She has amazing stories.**

**We both still have links to our Polyvore accounts on our profiles, and I've recently started a new Isaac/OC/Stiles story too!**

**The last ep of the first half of season 3 airs tonight! ^_^**

**It would really make our day if you'd take the time to leave a review. We always love getting feedback and seeing that there is still an interest in this story.**


	32. Family Ties

**Family Ties- Chapter 32**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Teagan backed up a few steps as she watched Stiles pull out onto the road and drive away.

She sniffed and reached up to wipe away the tears from her face until she heard footsteps behind her. She froze for a moment with her eyes wide as she worried who was walking up behind her until she heard Isaac call out her name.

She breathed out a sigh of relief as she turned around to face him with a fake smile on her face, hoping he couldn't tell that she was upset, but he could tell the instant she turned around something was wrong.

He dropped his lacrosse gear as he raced over to her and placed his hands on either side of her face when she tried to lower her head to avoid his eyes.

He raised her head, forcing her to look at him as he asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I just... it's nothing." Teagan said, as she tried to stop new tears from forming in her eyes but was not succeeding.

"Teagan, talk to me, what happened?" Isaac asked, growing even more concern for her when a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I can't. Please Isaac, please don't make me lie to you." Teagan begged him, as she shook her head, knowing she couldn't tell him about anything werewolf related. She didn't want to get him caught up in the middle of it or have him think she is crazy. She was enjoying having him in her life and didn't want to lose him.

"Just tell me this much... are you ok?" Isaac asked, needing to know if she would be ok because if something happened to her and he didn't save her, he would never forgive himself.

"I hope so." She whispered, as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Without hesitating Isaac wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, hoping to give her some kind of comfort as more tears began to rain down her face. The more she cried the more concerned he became for her but he wasn't going to push her for an explanation, he was just going to be there for her. Like he told her earlier that day, there was nothing that could cause him to run from her and he wasn't going to do that now either. As long as she needed him here, he was going to be here.

While Isaac was still holding her in the middle of the parking lot, Jackson was walking towards the parking lot heading for his car. Most of the team was meeting up to celebrate and Jackson had planned to go there. After seeing his girl cheering for Lahey all night, he needed several strong drinks to get the image out of his head then a few more to get her out of his head at least temporarily.

He didn't know how much longer he could go along with this whole 'break' idea of hers. He only went along with it to begin with because he figured it wouldn't be long until she came crying back to him but then he began to see her talking to Lahey more and more and he didn't like that one bit.

But he was sure she was getting close to breaking, he had seen her face and how upset it made her when he flirted with Allison. It was only a matter of time before she was back in his arms or at least he thought so until now, when he saw her in Lahey's arms right in front of him.

Jackson clenched his jaw in anger and thought about storming over there to punch Isaac in the face for even thinking it was ok to touch her until he saw something that made him pause for a minute.

When he saw her tear stained face his heart dropped and he went into protection mode. He tossed his lacrosse gear on the ground near his car as he walked over toward them. Isaac had just taken a step back to look at her when Jackson grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him as he laid his hands on Isaac's chest and pushed him away, knocking him to the ground.

"What the hell did you do to her Lahey?" Jackson asked angrily, as he stood over Isaac.

"Jackson, no!" Teagan cried out, as she stepped in front of him, protecting Isaac.

"Jackson look at me, look at me." Teagan called out, as she laid her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her before adding, "He didn't do anything. I'm ok."

When Jackson nodded his head and took a small step back, she turned around and held out a hand to help Isaac up as she quietly apologized to him and asked if he was ok.

Jackson scoffed as he saw her fussing over Isaac, making sure he was ok. It physically made him ill to watch them. Not being able to stomach it a minute longer, he turned around and walked back over to his car.

Teagan glanced behind her to see Jackson walk away and felt torn. She wanted to stay and check on Isaac, he did almost get his ass kicked cause he was comforting her, but the other side of her wanted to check on Jackson. She remembered how it felt to watch him and Lydia all over each other and hated the thought of him hurting the way she had then.

Isaac saw the struggle in her eyes and told her to go. She looked back at him in surprise as she said, "What?"

"I said go. I'm ok." Isaac said.

"But Isaac..."

"Go. Just go before he does something stupid." He said, interrupting her.

She nodded her head, that was exactly what she was afraid of. She gave Isaac a quick hug, apologizing for leaving then turned around to follow after Jackson. By the time she caught up with Jackson, he was kicking his bag that held his lacrosse gear.

"Jackson, stop! Stop it!" Teagan yelled out, as she grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her.

He pulled his arm away and tried to turn away until she turned him around again and wrapped her arms around him, hoping to calm him down. But instead, he pushed her away from him, not hard enough to hurt her but just enough to get her off of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Teagan asked him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jackson yelled back, then before she could answer he added,"Lahey? You dumped me for freaking Lahey?"

"I didn't dump you for anyone Jackson. I told you I just needed a break." Teagan yelled back.

"That's bullshit T and we both know it. I've seen the way you look at him, I'm not blind." Jackson said.

"I'm not looking at anyone anyway, besides I'm surprised you can see anything other than Allison." Teagan snapped, then silently cursed herself for sounding so jealous.

"Hey, you said you wanted a break so I'm taking a break." Jackson said with a smirk.

"By going after Allison? Another friend of mine, who is going through a break up herself?" Teagan pointed out, then added, "If you really have to move on can't you go to someone who isn't a friend for once, Jackson?"

"Is that what this is all about? Are you still pissed that I moved on to Lydia when you left?" Jackson asked.

"No, God! That is not what this is about." Teagan called out, as she ran a hand through her hair feeling frustrated.

"This is not about you Jackson, this is about me." Teagan said, then added tearfully, "I have been through so much crap these last few weeks. There is so much going on and so much changing and I can't keep up and I just needed a moment to myself to breath and get my head on straight."

Jackson didn't say anything as she walked closer to him and laid a hand on his arm as she added, "I'm not trying to get back at you or hurt you Jackson and no matter what happens I still want you in my life as a friend."

"A friend?" Jackson scoffed, then added, "We'll never be just friends Teagan."

"Why not? We started out as friends, we can go back as friends." She pointed out.

"We stopped being friends the day I made the mistake of falling in love with you." Jackson snapped, then instantly felt guilty when he saw the look in her eyes. He hated himself for saying that, especially since it wasn't true but she was hurting him and he wanted to hurt her back.

"You're right. We'll never be friends Jackson." Teagan said, as she quickly turned around to walk away so he wouldn't see the tears falling from her eyes.

She folded her arms across her chest as she continued to walk away and ignore him when he called out her name. She flinched when she heard him punch something but didn't turn around to check on him.

She kept her eyes looking straight ahead and felt relieved when she saw Danny up ahead as he unlocked his car door. She made her way toward him and softly called out his name.

"T? What's wrong?" Danny asked, when he saw the state she was in.

"Everything." Teagan whimpered, as she fell into his arms.

"Oz not treating you well huh?" Danny asked, as he held her in his arms.

"No, not at all. I just want to go home." Teagan said softly.

"Well get in the car and I'll take you." Danny said, then added with a small laugh, "and don't worry, I won't make you click your heels three times."

She chuckled at his comment and hugged him tight, thanking him for being there for her like he always had been. She could always count on Danny. The two had always been friends, but had become really close in middle school when they were in '_The Wizard of Oz'_ together. She was the first one he came out to and he was the first one she told about her crush on Jackson. While Avery was her best female friend that she could tell anything to, Danny was her best male friend and she knew that would never change no matter what.

**~()~**

Avery quietly walked in the hospital and headed over to the long term care unit. She held her breath as she stood outside of a room when she heard Derek's voice.

"You killed Laura." She heard Derek say.

"I was being driven by pure instinct. You think I would kill my own family?" An unfamiliar voice she thought must have been Peter replied.

"Do you have any idea what it was like me for over those years? Slowly healing, cell by cell. Even more slowly coming back to consciousness. Becoming an alpha, taking that from Laura pushed me over a plateau in the healing process." Peter admitted to his nephew.

While she listened to them talking she looked around the hall in the hospital, there was blood and broken glass on the floor. It was obvious there had been some kind of fight.

She listened to them talk a little longer before she took a deep breath and slowly stepped into the doorway.

Derek looked over at her, she saw dried blood on his face.

"I wondered if you were going to make your presence known." Peter said with a smug smile as he looked over at her.

Her eyes widened and she looked over at Derek.

"It's okay." He said nodding for her to come in the room.

She quickly darted into the room and by his side, as she stared at Peter.

Peter stared at her for a few seconds before he said, "You look just like your mother."

"I've been getting that a lot lately." She mumbled.

"Your skin… it's absolutely beautiful. Flawless." Peter continued.

Avery shifted uncomfortably, not sure what was going on.

"I can understand why you'd be afraid of me…" Peter started to say.

"You almost killed me and my best friend." Avery snapped.

"That was an accident. Simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the same unfortunate circumstances for the janitor of your school." He explained.

"You're just going around and killing people. It's sick." She said, her voice strong.

"I've only been killing the responsible parties." He said.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Avery asked as she grabbed Derek's arm.

"The people responsible for the fire. The killings weren't random." Derek explained as he looked at her.

"The fire…" Avery said as she swallowed hard.

"That fire killed my family; killed your mother. I've been taking revenge on the guilty parties." Peter explained.

"And targeting Scott?" She asked.

"I told you we're stronger in packs." Derek reminded her.

"I… I just, this is a lot to take in." She breathed out as she sat down on the side of the bed in the room they were in.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked her, and then shook his head at his own question.

"So you want Scott and Derek to join you? Make a pack and kill the murderers?" she asked looking at Peter.

He nodded.

"Who is left?" She questioned looking between them.

"Kate Argent." Peter said after a pause.

Avery nodded and Derek could hear her heart starting to race.

"Avery, she…" Derek started to remind her of everything that Kate had done but Avery stood up and looked at Peter.

"Good. I want the bitch dead." She said through gritted teeth.

The fire had killed her mom, ruined her dads life and stolen her childhood away from her.

Kate's actions had taken so many possible moments with her mom away from her.

Avery wouldn't have her mom at her graduation, or her wedding, and she'd never get to hold her grandkids.

Derek glanced at Avery and then back to his uncle, who was smiling at the teenagers words.

Avery looked between them, "Well, what did you expect? I'm not going to stand in your way or anything."

Taking a few steps closer Peter said, "You could help us."

"What?" Derek asked looking at his uncle.

"The bigger our pack, the stronger we are." Peter said taking another step forward.

Avery's eyes widened at his words.

Derek put an arm in front of her.

"No." He said, his voice almost in a growl.

"She'd be perfect. Female wolves are fierce; their pain tolerance is twice that of a male werewolf." Peter reminded his nephew.

"You want to bite me?" Avery gasped, finally able to form words.

"He's not going to." Derek assured her, he still had his arm in front of her.

"She'd be perfect and you know it. I doubt she'd even take much training to reach her full potential." Peter said.

"The bite could kill her." Derek said his shoulders tensed as he spoke.

"Give her some credit, I think she's strong enough to survive it." Peter argued.

"I said no." Derek growled.

"You're not worried about her, at all? If I turn her, she'll be able to protect herself." He said, he had his sights on Avery now. He knew she'd be a strong addition to the pack.

"That's if she lives." Derek continued to argue.

Avery sighed heavily and pushed Derek's arm out of the way.

"It's my decision and I say no." She stated flatly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You do realize you're putting yourself in danger being with him, right? You aren't near as capable of defending yourself now as you would be if you turned." Peter continued to try and sell her on the idea.

"Well, so far the only one who has tried to kill me, has been you." She said with arched eyebrows.

Derek looked over at her.

"Avery…" Peter began to say.

"You're wasting your breath. I'm not buying what you're selling and I already said no." She said, her voice had a jolt of attitude as she spoke.

Derek smiled to himself and then looked up at his uncle, who was also smiling, "I like this one." Peter said, with a small laugh at her bravery.

~()~

Later that night after assuring Teagan at least a hundred times that she was okay, but not going into much detail about Derek's uncle, Avery finally got off the phone with her best friend.

She had just started on her chemistry homework when the doorbell rang.

Groaning she slid off her bed and jogged down the stairs.

"Hey…" She said with a small look of confusion to see Stiles standing outside.

"What were you thinking?" He asked her. Looking behind her she made sure her dad wasn't listening.

Putting her hand on his chest she pushed him outside and pulled the door shut behind them.

"What?" She asked, her voice low.

"You told me on the phone that you weren't going to the hospital." Stiles reminded her.

"I had to go check on Derek, I'm sorry I lied to you. But you told me you wouldn't tell me anymore unless I promised not to go." She explained.

He angrily shook his head at her response.

"You're really mad at me, aren't you?" Avery asked, a little surprised at how mad he seemed at her.

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but I just got off the phone with Scott a little while ago and Derek is working with the alpha. He' switched sides. Avery, you could have been killed when you went to the hospital." He said his eyes a little wide.

"Peter has no reason to kill me; the video store was a mistake." Avery assured him.

Stiles took a step backwards and cocked his head to the side, "Peter? You're on a first name basis with him?"

"Everyone he killed was directly related to the fire that killed his family…" She began to explain to him but Stiles cut her off.

"So what, it doesn't change the fact that he is going around killing people." Stiles argued with her.

"He's only killing the ones who deserve it." She said, growing angry with him.

"That deserve it? Avery, do you hear yourself right now? You're agreeing with a monster here." He said.

"A monster? No, you've got it all wrong. The people he's been killing are the monsters." She said, her voice a little raised.

"Oh my god, did they brainwash you or something?" Stiles asked her shocked.

"Stiles, everyone he's killed were related to the setting of the fire. Derek lost all but 2 members of his family and I…" She started to explain but he cut her off again.

"So this is why you're doing this? Because it's what Derek wants? You know how wrong this is, come on!" He yelled, not understanding why it seemed like she was turning on them.

"You want to talk about wrong? Fine, then let's talk about how wrong it was for those hunters to kill an innocent family just to take out a few of the members who were werewolves. Let's talk about how wrong it is that a woman in her 30's burned to death because she went to visit her best friend on the wrong day!" Avery yelled as tears burnt her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her.

"My mom was friends with Derek's family." Avery hissed through her gritted teeth.

His face went a little pale as he stared at her with his mouth open.

"So yeah, I am on Derek and Peter's side. Because I don't care how it makes me sound, but I want every single person responsible for that fire to pay for what they did." She said as she turned and walked into her house.

"Avery… I…" stiles tried to apologize but she cut him off.

"And I want them to pay with their lives." She said before she shut the door and locked it.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all so much for reading! ^_^**

**So... did you all catch the summer finale of Teen Wolf? I was pretty happy with the way things turned out. I won't say much, don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. But January cannot come soon enough!**

**Don't forget to check out the Polyvore sets Miss E Charlotte and I both make to go along with this story, the links are on our profiles.**

**If you're still reading, please leave us a review and let us know. We appreciate the feedback and support so much! We're truly inspired by your kind words.**


	33. Sorry I Had to Leave So Suddenly…

**Sorry I Had to Leave So Suddenly…- Chapter 33**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

"So you're meeting up with your uncle?" Avery asked as she applied the last of her makeup and looked at Derek as he pulled on his leather jacket.

"Yeah." He said.

He wasn't telling her that he was really going to school to trick Jackson into coming with him, under false pretenses of getting turned.

The Argents thought that Jackson was the second beta wolf instead of Scott, and he was causing trouble.

"I'm going to pick up my dress for the dance!" Avery exclaimed happily as she pulled her purse on over shoulder.

"Be careful." Derek said as he watched her head towards the bedroom door to leave.

"What?" She asked turning around and looking at him confused.

"Peter was right, with hunters knowing you're with me it does put you in danger." He admitted.

"You're worried about me…" Avery said with a small smile as she walked up to him.

"I don't want to… I can't lose you." He said, his eyes bore into hers as he spoke.

Smiling she rested her arms on his shoulders with her wrists locked behind his neck, "And why is that again?"

Running his hands down her sides, he pulled her body against his, -his voice was quiet as he said, "You know why."

Leaning up she pressed a passionate kiss to his lips before pulling back and saying, "But I want to hear you say it."

Leaning down he reclaimed her mouth with his own, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against hers he said, "Because I love you."

Her heart skipped at his words and she smiled widely as she kissed him again and said, "I love you too."

"So be careful." He said again as he kissed her and then let go of her.

"I will." She assured him as she turned to head outside of her room.

He opened her window.

"Wait." She said as she spun around.

"What?" He asked looking back at her.

"I'm just going to the mall to pick up my dress I had customized, you're running off on some werewolf business. You be careful, because I love you and I can't lose you either." She said.

He nodded and watched as she left the room before he jumped from the window.

**~(The next afternoon)~**

Avery dropped her phone on the bed as she stood up and changed from her pajamas into a pair of jeans and a hoodie; she pulled on a pair of her old converse sneakers and headed downstairs.

Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she didn't have any make-up on. She'd been up half the night worried about Derek, she couldn't get in contact with him.

Pulling her car up outside of Scott's house she walked up to the door she raised her hand to knock, but then just opened the door and walked right in.

At that point she didn't care if his mom or if anyone else was there, she had to know where Derek was.

"Scott McCall!" Avery shouted as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked around.

In an instant Scott was at the top of the stairs.

"Avery?" He asked shocked, he didn't even think she knew where he lived.

"Where is Derek?" she demanded to know.

Scott was thankful his mom had already left for work, because Avery wasn't being the least bit subtle or quiet about anything.

"It's going to be okay…" He said as he walked down the stairs.

"Okay from what?" She demanded to know.

"I'm going to get him back." Scott said, not wanting to explain what happened.

"Back from where?" She asked.

He frowned and felt bad when he could hear her heart start to race from fear.

Stiles had told him that she loved Derek.

"Yesterday, he tricked Jackson into coming to his house. It's part of Peter's plan to force me to join his pack, I went there to save Jackson but while we were there hunters attacked the house." Scott said.

"Oh my god…" She breathed out as tears burnt her eyes, and she rested a hand over her stomach feeling sick from fear.

"I got hurt really bad and Derek went out front to distract the hunters while Jackson and I made a run for it." He continued to explain.

"Is he dead?" She bluntly asked, feeling like she couldn't breathe.

"I really don't think so. They need him alive for him to lead them to the alpha…" Scott said without even thinking.

"So torture?" Avery said as a few tears slide down her cheeks and her breathing grew even more ragged.

"I'm going to find him." Scott said.

"I'll find him myself." Avery snapped as she turned to leave.

Scott stopped her by the door.

"You can't. You'll only end up getting yourself hurt, or worse." He said.

"Leave me alone." She said through gritted teeth.

"Avery!" Scott yelled as he grabbed her arm

Turning around she grabbed his t-shirt and slammed him against the wall, taking him by surprise.

"Don't, okay? Just don't! Since you've met Derek you've been acting like he's some kind of monster, and he's risked his life to save you several times. So stop acting like you're better than him because you're not." She hissed.

His eyes widened and he looked down to where she was still clutching the fabric of his blue t-shirt.

"Uhh…" Was all he managed to stutter out.

Letting go of him she shook her head angrily and ran from the house, not looking back.

She drove around for close to 30 minutes and eventually ended up parked a few streets over from her best friend's house.

Slamming on the breaks she parked on the side of the road and jumped out of her car, locking the doors behind her.

Leaning over she held onto her knees as she gasped for air, she couldn't breathe.

Finally she managed to catch her breath and she started walking through yards to get a few streets over to where Teagan lived, she felt like if she got back in her car she'd suffocate, and she wanted the air.

Again she didn't bother knocking or ringing the doorbell, she opened the door and walked right in heading up to Teagan's room.

"Avery! Hey, I got my dress." Teagan said with a smile as she motioned to where it was hanging to the side of her body length mirror as she held some of her jewelry up to it, to see what matched best.

"Teagan…" Avery managed to breath out.

Teagan dropped the necklace she had been holding to the floor at the sound of her voice.

"Oh my god, what is it?" She asked rushing to her friends side.

"Hunters… they took Derek and they're torturing him." She managed to say.

Teagan immediately felt sick. She still didn't trust Derek completely, but he sure didn't deserve to be tortured.

"Oh my god..." Teagan breathed out as she wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Should we go to the cops?" Teagan asked.

"They still want to arrest him for murder!" Avery exclaimed.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking…" Teagan apologized.

"What happened?" Teagan asked as she sat down on the side of her bed with Avery.

Avery explained what Scott had told her.

"Jackson wants to be a werewolf; I didn't even know he knew about them…" Teagan said shocked, her brown eyes wide with surprise.

"He's been bugging and threatening Scott to get the alpha to turn him." Avery explained.

"That's why he's been all about Allison lately…" Teagan breathed out.

"The hunters want the alpha and they're torturing Derek to get him." Avery said swallowing hard as she spoke.

"Maybe he'll tell them and they'll let him go." Teagan tried to offer her best friend a glimpse of some hope.

"He can't tell them it's Peter, once they know who the alpha is they won't have a need to keep Derek alive. And they'll kill him, keeping the secret is the only leverage he's got." She explained her thoughts.

Teagan stood up, "I'll grab my coat and we'll go talk to Jackson and see what he remembers, and maybe talk to Scott again and we'll find Derek."

Avery nodded as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"I need to use the bathroom real quick." Teagan said.

"I'm gonna head over to where I left my car and grab my phone from my car, in case he escapes and calls me. I'll meet you out front." Avery said as she headed out of her friends bedroom.

Teagan quickly texted her dad to say she had some things to do before the dance and he wouldn't get to see her before she left, before heading into the bathroom.

Drying her cheeks Avery walked back to the street where her car was parked, she stopped when she heard crunching under her feet.

Looking down she saw there was glass all over the ground, her eyes widened when she saw her side view mirror was knocked off her car and the passenger window was broken.

It was broken glass that was crunching under her shoes.

"Teagan, sorry I had to leave so suddenly but…" She heard a familiar voice said from behind her.

Avery whirled around to see Kate Argent standing behind her holding onto her cellphone she'd taken from her car.

"You…" Avery breathed out.

Holding her jacket open she revealed a handle of a gun poking up from the waist band of her jeans.

"What excuse are we telling that adorable best friend of yours?" Kate asked looking back down to Avery's phone.

"What?" Avery asked confused.

"You either tell me what to say, or we'll wait until she comes looking for you… and well, that won't end well for her." Kate threatened.

"Why are you doing this?" Avery said tears burning her eyes again.

"Tic-toc, every second you waste she could be walking closer." Kate warned.

"Teagan, sorry I had to leave so suddenly but…" Kate said again.

"Sorry I had to leave suddenly, but it's taco night with my dad and he said if I miss another family dinner I'm grounded." Avery said, knowing that Teagan would know something was wrong.

Avery never had family dinners and she'd never been grounded because her dad didn't care what she did.

"Aw, taco night? That's so cute…" Kate taunted as she typed the message out and sent it before she wiped her finger prints off Avery's phone and tossed it into the broken window of Avery's car.

"Let's go." Kate said nodding for her to follow her.

"I'm not going." Avery said stubbornly.

"Then I'll go pay your friend a visit." Kate growled, as she again showed Avery the handle of the gun.

Feeling more helpless than she ever had before Avery slowly took a few steps forward until Kate grabbed onto her arm and pulled her towards her car.

**~()~**

Teagan washed and dried her hands before pulling her coat on and heading out into her room.

Tucking her phone into her pocket she headed down the stairs

Her mind was racing; she felt so bad for what Avery was going through and she wanted more than anything to help her find Derek.

"Okay, I'm ready." Teagan announced as she walked out of her front door and pulled it shut behind her.

Looking up she was surprised Avery wasn't there, she said she was getting her phone and she'd meet her outside.

"A?" Teagan called out looking around.

Pulling her phone from her pocket she saw she had a new text, but when she tried to open it to read her phone said she needed to free up memory to get the text.

Sighing she quickly deleted some old texts between her and Jackson.

Knowing it would take a few moments to get the text she slid her phone back in her pocket and walked around the side of her house.

Cutting through some neighbors yards toward where Avery had mentioned her car was parked.

Teagan's breath caught in her throat as she came across Avery's car with her missing side view mirror and shattered window.

The glass crunched under her shoes as she walked closer.

Gasping, she jumped as her phone went off from her pocket.

Seeing the text was from her best friend she smiled and said, "Oh A, thank god."

A feeling of relief flooded over her, but it was short lived as she read the actual text message; _Hey, sorry I had to leave so suddenly. Just remembered tonight is taco night and dad will freak if I miss another family dinner. And I don't wanna get in trouble and have to miss the dance tonight._

The format of the text and the language used sounded like something Avery would send, but it was beyond obvious Avery hadn't sent her that text.

Teagan knew for a fact that Avery had never been grounded because her dad didn't care what she did and Avery and her dad never had family dinners.

Walking closer to the car, the sinking feeling in her stomach rose as she saw Avery's phone in the passenger seat of the car.

Reaching through the busted window she picked it up, tears burnt at her eyes as she quickly tucked the phone in her pocket and raced back to her house.

Her first thought was to follow the plan; see what Jackson remembered.

In a state of panic, it was like her body was on auto pilot as she raced towards Jackson's house.

As she neared the house she saw his Porsche starting to back out of the driveway.

Stomping on the gas she sped up behind him and slammed on the brakes, blocking him in the driveway.

He slammed on his brakes and the tires on his car screeched as he was only inches away from hitting her car.

"What the hell?" He angrily yelled as he jumped out of his car.

A look of shock replaced the former angry expression when he saw it was Teagan.

Slowly, a cocky smile spread over his lips.

They hadn't talked since the night at the game, but he knew she'd eventually not be able to take the break anymore and come back.

"You're lucky you didn't mess up the paint." Jackson said, deciding he was going to give her a hard time for waiting so long.

She slammed her car door shut and started to say something but he didn't let her talk as he smugly said, "that's what you're wearing to the dance?"

"There are far more important things than the dance going on!" Teagan exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" He asked his smile falling at seeing how upset she was.

"Werewolves!" Teagan blurted out.

Jackson's eyes narrowed slightly at her, "I wondered if you knew the truth. You knew and didn't tell me…"

"What do you remember about the night you were at Derek's when he and Scott got attacked?" Teagan demanded to know.

"I remember Derek tricked me into going with him." Jackson said.

"Was it Allison's family? Was it other hunters? Did you get a good look at them?" she asked, her words running together and her voice a little hoarse as she spoke.

"I don't know, somebody just started shooting the house up. Why does any of this matter?" Jackson asked.

"Don't you get it, Jackson? Those hunters took Derek, they're torturing him for information!" Teagan yelled at him.

"What does this have to do with me?" He asked.

"You were one of the last ones to see him! I need to know what you remember, please just tell me." Teagan pleaded, not feeling as strong as she had a few minutes before that.

"Yeah, maybe. But what does any of it have to do with you?" He asked.

"Because I don't know what they might do to her." Teagan said as a few tears rolled down her anger flushed cheeks.

"Her?" Jackson asked, getting worried by her behavior.

"They took Avery." Teagan finally admitted to him.

"Who, the hunters?" Jackson asked, trying to piece it together.

Teagan nodded as she took in a deep shaky breath her watery eyes met his.

"She's not a werewolf, is she?" Jackson asked.

"What's wrong with you? No she's not a werewolf, but Derek loves her and that makes her a target with the hunters. They can use her well-being as a threat to get what they want from him." Teagan explained her thoughts.

Jackson's face went a little pale as he took it all in.

"I didn't get a look at the hunters, T. I got out the back of the house before Derek got captured. I didn't even know McCall made it out until I saw him the next day. I don't know anything about it." He finally told her everything he knew.

"Great! You just wasted all that time for nothing." Teagan snapped, as more tears fell down her face.

She had lost her mom not too long ago, she didn't know how she'd be able to survive if she lost Avery too.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what was going on." He said as he followed her towards her car.

"It's not really your fault." Teagan said, feeling bad for taking it all out on him.

"Where are you going?" He asked her.

"To find them." She admitted.

"I'll come with you." He said.

"No! I don't need you to come with me, I can do this on my own." Teagan said as she turned and faced him.

"Avery is my friend too, and I want to be there for you." He said as he reached out to put a hand on her upper arm.

She moved away from his touch.

"Yeah? Well, one hell of a friend you've been to her this year." She angrily shot at him.

"Let me help you." He said again.

"The last thing I need is your help right now. You've been trying to get yourself turned into a werewolf, why?" She asked as she opened her car door.

"You wouldn't understand it. Everything has been taken away from me this year, this is my way to get it all back." He admitted.

She scoffed and shook her head as she got into her car.

"Why are you acting like you care anyways?" Jackson asked.

"Just because you regret falling in love with me, doesn't mean that I'll ever stop caring about you, Jackson." Teagan yelled as she opened her car door.

"I'm coming with you." He said, still a little taken aback by her words.

"I can do this on my own." She said as she shut her door and backed out of the driveway.

* * *

**A/N- Hope you all liked the chapter! We're are so close to moving onto season 2! ^_^**

**Don't forget to check out Miss E Charlotte's page and stories, she's awesome and you won't regret it.**

******I'd really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to leave a review and let us know if you're still reading and liking the story. We're still having so much fun working together on writing this and your kind words and support mean so much to us!**


	34. It Will Always Be You, Teagan

**It Will Always Be You, Teagan -Chapter 34**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

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After leaving Jackson's house Teagan turned down a road that would take her to Stiles' house. With no new information from Jackson she was honestly at a loss on what to do next but hoped Stiles would know, if not they could at least brainstorm and come up with a plan to save Avery and Derek.

She was almost to his house when she glanced at the time and realized he had probably already left for the dance, then after a quick ride by his empty house she realized she was right. He was already gone.

Without taking her eyes off of the road she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cellphone to quickly call him, hoping he had his phone on him.

"Come on, pick up... pick up.. pick up." Teagan mumbled, as his phone kept ringing. She was close to hanging up and trying his phone again when he finally answered.

"Avery?" Stiles asked, confused on why she was calling him.

It wasn't until she heard her best friend's name that she realized she had called him from Avery's phone instead of her own. For a moment she lost the ability to speak as images of her best friend went through her mind.

At first the memories were happy ones: them growing up together, laughing, playing, talking, sleep overs and so on. Then the images turned dark as her mind imagined what Avery could be going through right now: pain, torture and worse; she imagined Avery laying still as she took her last breath causing Teagan to feel like she herself couldn't breathe as tears fell one right after another from her eyes, forcing her to pull over on the side of the road.

"Avery?" Stiles called out again as he laid his hand over his ear, trying to drown out the music as he tried to hear what was happening on the other end of the phone.

When he heard crying on the other end, he began to push his way through the crowd, trying to get outside where he could talk and hear better.

Once he was outside he spoke again, "Avery, where are you? You and Teagan are supposed to be here now. I know you like to make a grand entrance but with an alpha out there and Derek missing we all need to stick together."

Teagan tried to take a deep breath to control her emotions as she whimpered out his name and began to cry again.

"Teagan?" Stiles asked when he recognized her voice then added, "Teagan, what the hell is going on? Where are you and Avery?"

"They took her Stiles. They took her." Teagan cried.

"They took who?" Stiles asked confused.

"Avery." Teagan cried out.

Stiles felt his heart break at her answer. He had a pretty good idea who the 'they' were who took her, but to be sure he opened his mouth to ask, but before he could say a word, Teagan began to speak again.

"The hunters took Avery and I have to find her, Stiles. I have to before they kill her cause we both know if it comes down to it they will. They will do whatever they have to to get the alpha and Scott and they don't give a rat's ass about any of us. They don't care that we all are innocent in all of this they will kill each and every one of us if that's what it takes but I'll be damned if I let that happen cause I can't lose her Stiles, I-I can't..." She said all at once, causing herself to get choked up at the end as it became hard to breathe again.  
"Teagan... Teagan!" Stiles yelled out when he heard her gasping over the phone.  
"You have to calm down, take deep breaths ok? Do you uh, do you need me to find Jackson or something?" He suggested, trying to think of something that could calm her down.

"No... no. I-I can do this, I need to… to do this." Teagan said in between deep breaths. She needed to stop being so dependent on others to save her. She needed to be strong. Avery needed her to be strong.

"Good cause Avery needs you, ok? She needs both of us and I have an idea." Stiles said, then asked, "Where are you?"

"Right down the road from your house." Teagan answered.

"Ok, good, meet me at my house. I'll be right there." Stiles called out, as he ended the call and went to run toward his Jeep until something on the lacrosse field caught his eye.

After ending the call with Stiles, Teagan flipped the visor down and looked at herself in the small mirror. She wiped the tears from her face and from under her eyes then took a deep breath before slapping the visor closed and doing a wide U-turn to drive back to Stiles' house. She pulled up in the driveway and turned off the car then minutes later a car pulled up behind her, although it wasn't Stiles, it was his dad.

"Just great." Teagan mumbled sarcastically, as she tried to quickly think of a reason to explain why she was just hanging out in the sheriff's driveway. She plastered a smile on her face as she exited her car at the same time he got out of his.

He looked her over, trying to figure out who she was then said, "Teagan, right? Paul Young's daughter?"

"Yeah. I mean yes sir.. Mr... uh, Sheriff Stilinski, sir." She rambled nervously.

He softly chuckled then said, "Is everything ok? Is there something I can help you with?"

"I was just meeting Stiles." Teagan answered.

Sheriff Stilinski looked up at the dark house then asked, "Isn't he already at the dance?"

"He uh... yeah he is actually, but we uh, a bunch of us were supposed to go together and he just forgot to pick me up." Teagan lied with a forced chuckle.

Sheriff Stilinski sighed as he shook his head then said, "I wish I could say I was surprised, but actually I'm not."

"Yep. Silly old Stiles. You just never know what he is going to do next." Teagan said with another forced laugh.

"Well I was just swinging by the house to grab a bite to eat before I go back in to work but you are welcomed to wait inside for him or..." Sheriff Stilinski began to say until his phone rang. He held up a finger, telling her to hold on, as he answered the call.

As he was talking, she heard her cellphone begin to ring as well and pulled the phone out of her pocket to look down at the caller ID to see it was Jackson calling.

She debated on answering it, with the way things had been going with them lately she figured he was just calling to argue about something but there again maybe he was just calling to check on her since he knew she was upset about Avery and trying to find her.

Making up her mind, she was about to answer it when she overheard the sheriff say Lydia's name, then mentioned the word 'bite' and 'hospital' before ending his call.

"What happened to Lydia?" Teagan asked concerned. She and Lydia might not have been that close since she had moved back, but at one time they were and she still considered her a friend.

"Something bit her, but I'm sure she's going to be ok." Sheriff Stilinski said, not wanting to upset her.

Teagan gasped in surprise as she laid a hand over her mouth. She knew exactly what had bit Lydia, there was only one thing running around this town biting people and now Lydia would never be ok again.

"Why don't I give you a ride to the hospital?" Sheriff Stilinski suggested when he saw tears roll down her face and didn't want her on the road while she was clearly upset.

Teagan nodded her head and allowed him to lead her to his car as the two made their way to the hospital.

**~()~**

Pulling up outside of the burnt remains of the Hale house, Kate made Avery get out of the car and then tied her hands behind her back and led her into the house.

Avery looked around but didn't see any sign of Derek.

"You've never been shy before. Go on sweetie; ask me what you've been dying to ask me from the moment you saw me." Kate pushed as she faced Avery in what used to be the living room.

Avery's jaw tensed in rage as she looked at her.

Kate let out a sinister laugh, "Derek's alive."

"Right, I'm just supposed to believe you." Avery growled.

"I'm not the enemy here, Avery. In fact I want to make a deal with you." Kate said.

Avery scoffed.

"I think that Derek trusts you, which is pretty surprising after the number I did on him. But I think he trusts you enough to tell you who the alpha is. So I'm giving you a chance to tell me." Kate explained.

"I don't know who the alpha is." Avery lied, she knew if they found out they'd kill Derek and possibly her too.

"If you tell me, then I'll let you go and you can live a werewolf free rest of your life. But if you don't cooperate, I'll just have to keep torturing him…" Kate said as she slowly walked behind Avery.

"You could at least show him some mercy and make sure he dies painlessly, instead of in agony." Kate whispered into Avery's ear.

Avery swallowed hard and her mind was filled with scenes from torture-horror movies she'd seen over the years.

"At the very least, you know who the second beta is…" Kate reasoned.

"We don't talk about werewolf stuff, I don't know." She said.

Kate clicked her tongue and said, "Darn, I guess that means I'm going to have to pry the answers out of you… one broken bone at a time…"

It took Avery a few moments for her mind to catch up, "What?" She started to say, but Kate grabbed the ring finger on her left hand and broke it.

Avery screamed out in agony and dropped to the floor on her knees.

Grabbing her by her hair Kate roughly pulled her back up to her feet, "Who's the alpha?" She asked.

Tears poured down Avery's face and she wanted the pain to stop before it got any worse, but she knew it she told Kate that Derek would be killed.

"Please stop, I don't know who it is. I swear!" Avery screamed her voice hoarse and panicked as she spoke.

"You expect me to believe that?" Kate asked as she broke the middle finger on the same hand.

"Oh my god!" Avery screamed out in pain, her voice choppy between loud sobs and gasps for air.

"You want this to stop, Avery? Give me something I can use, the other beta… the alpha. Work with me." Kate tried to make a deal with her.

"If I knew I'd tell you! Please, stop… don't do this." Avery sobbed. She wasn't sure how much more she could take before she broke and told.

Kate looked her in the eyes.

"He doesn't tell me about werewolf stuff, he's afraid I'd slip and tell someone. He's barely told me anything since he found out I'd been talking to you." Avery continued to lie as she sobbed loudly from pain.

Kate looked the young teen over, and reasoned she was probably telling the truth. She was a sophomore in high school, with no kind of training what-so-ever to fight or endure torture.

"Well, next plan then." Kate said as she roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her outside and to a hidden entrance to a cellar underground.

**~()~**

Many minutes later, while the sheriff began to question as many people possible about what happened, Teagan made her way towards Lydia's room. She stood outside the room and looked in through the windows as Lydia laid peacefully in the bed.

She had only been watching her a few minutes when she felt someone lay a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and gasped then sighed with relief when she saw it was only Jackson.

Without a word, she fell into his arms and closed her eyes as he held her tightly against him and kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on top of her head.

After seeing what had happened to Lydia and knowing that she was out there alone looking for Avery and possibly putting herself in danger he was relieved to see that she was ok and all in one piece.

After holding her a few more minutes longer, which was mainly more for himself than her, he pulled back a little to look at her as he said, "Where have you been? I've been trying to call you."

"I know, I'm sorry. I talked to Stiles and he was supposed to meet me at his house, he said he had a plan to find Avery but then his dad came home and he got a call about Lydia so here I am." Teagan explained.

She looked over at Lydia again before looking back at Jackson and asked quietly, "What happened? Was it the alpha?"

Jackson shrugged then said, "I don't know, I guess so. Stiles called and said she was bit and where to find her then he left."

"Well where did he go? He's not here?" Teagan asked surprised.

"No, but I saw him leaving the school with some older, creepy guy." Jackson answered.

"What? Who?" Teagan asked confused, but all Jackson could do was shrug his shoulders.

Teagan sighed in frustration as she turned to walk away until Jackson grabbed her arm to stop her, asking her where she was going.

"I have got to go find Stiles and see what his brilliant plan is or either start coming up with one on my own cause I've got to find Avery. The longer she is missing the more likely ..." Teagan began to say, but couldn't finish. She knew the statistics. The longer someone was missing the more likely they would be found dead.

"Hey, hey, come here." Jackson said softly, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him. He kissed the side of her head then rested his lips near her ear as he said softly, "You're not in this alone. I'm right here with you. We will find Avery, together."

"No." Teagan said, as she pulled away from him. She looked up at him then continued, "No, ok? I'm not putting you in the middle of all of this."

"I'm already in the middle of this." Jackson argued, then added, "Don't you get it Teagan? When it comes to you I am always going to be in the middle of it with you. I can't just sit back and let you run off; I am always going to be by your side. Protecting you, helping you, whatever you need."

He looked down for a moment to control his emotions before looking back up at her as he quietly added, "Even being just your friend if that is what you need."

"I thought you said we would never be just friends." Teagan pointed out, reminding him of what he said recently after the game.

"I also said I made a mistake falling in love with you." Jackson added, then said, "But you should have known that was a lie. It'll always be you Teagan. The one I'll always love, the one I'll always want, the one that..."

"The one that what?" She asked quietly with tears in her eyes when he paused.

"The one that got away." Jackson finished softly, as he reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek.

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, feeling the familiar tingles that always appeared because of him.

* * *

**A/N - I hope everyone liked the latest chapter. Thank you so much for reading!**

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	35. All That I Have

**All That I Have -Chapter 35**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Teagan opened her eyes to glance up at Jackson, then opened her mouth to say something but before she could she heard Stiles racing towards them, calling out her name.

"Hey, is Lydia okay?" Stiles asked, as he slid to a stop before them.

"We don't know yet. Her body keeps going into shock." Jackson answered.

"Where the hell have you been, Stiles?" Teagan asked angrily.

"Well let's see, I was kidnapped by an alpha and had to track down Derek, by using the GPS in Scott's phone. Then the douchebag destroyed my keys so I had to run all the way over here, where as soon as I stepped off the elevator my dad was all down my throat asking twenty questions and I couldn't answer even one of them because I am keeping everyone's secrets and now I'm off to my possible death to save the girl I love." Stiles said all at once, then he rested his hands on his hips with a sigh as he added, "Does that answer all of your questions? Good, great, got to go."

"Whoa, wait.." Teagan called out, as she grabbed his arm to stop him as she asked, "You said you tracked down Derek using Scott's phone?"

"Yeah, that was the idea I was going to tell you earlier when we were going to meet up, before I got sidetracked by the vicious man-eating alpha." Stiles hissed, then thought about his comment for a moment then he began to ramble, "Or I guess really he's not just a _man_ eater cause he'll eat anything. Or I'm assuming he has eaten his prey. I guess the better term would be man-bitter or people-biting alpha."

"Stiles!" Teagan yelled out, getting him to shut up, then added, "So you know where Derek is? And possibly Avery too?"

"Yeah. They're at the Hale house." Stiles answered, nodding.

"Well great, let's go then." Teagan said, feeling a little relieved that she knew where Avery might be.

"One problem. I can't drive my Jeep." Stiles reminded her.

"No problem. We'll take my..." Teagan begin to say until she remembered she'd left her car at Stiles' house.

She groaned and filled Stiles in on where her car was.

"We'll take my car." Jackson offered, once Teagan was done talking.

She glanced over at him, still not liking the idea of him getting into the middle of it all. When he saw the look on her face he said, "I'm right by your side, remember?"

Teagan nodded her head at him, then quickly looked over at Stiles, as she thought about something he had said earlier, "Wait a minute. I don't understand something. How did Derek get Scott's phone?"

Stiles nervously licked his lips, he knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say, "I-I think Derek knew. I think he knew the hunters were going to take him, so he grabbed Scott's phone and let them take him."

"You're known this whole time how to find Derek? Even when Avery was freaking out worrying about him, you could have told her how to find him?" Teagan asked angrily.

"So she can go run right into a dangerous situation that could get her killed? Yeah, remind me again why I didn't tell her." Stiles said sarcastically.

"You've told me yourself that Avery, would walk through Hell to save someone she loves. I'm sorry but I'm not going to let her do that." He continued.

"I would have done the same." Jackson said siding with Stiles, which surprised all of them.

Looking down at Teagan as he added, "If it meant keeping you alive, I would lie to you in a heartbeat."

"Well that's just great." Teagan said sarcastically, then she looked over at Stiles as she said, "but while you've been keeping things to yourself, Avery could be dying and if something happens to her cause you kept this a secret, I swear I'll..."

"Hey, calm down." Jackson said, as he laid a hand on her shoulder hoping to comfort her some.

Teagan glanced over at Stiles and felt bad when she saw the heartbroken expression on his face. She could tell he was blaming himself just as much if not more than she was, but she knew deep down it wasn't his fault. He had no way of knowing that they would take Avery.

"I'm sorry, Stiles." She said sincerely, then added, "Let's just go find, Avery."

Stiles nodded his head as the three turned to walk down the hallway, as they turned a corner, they came to a quick stop when they saw Chris Argent and two of his men standing behind him.

"Boys... Teagan." Chris said, as he flashed them a grim smile, then said,"I was wondering if you could tell me where Scott McCall is."

As Teagan shook her head 'no', Stiles spoke up and said, "Scott McCall? Nah, haven't seen him since the dance."

"Teagan?" Chris asked, as he looked at her.

"I-I wasn't even at the dance." She answered honestly.

"Jackson?" Chris asked as he looked over at him last, but all Jackson could do was stutter and shake his head as he tried to lie to the older man.

Chris smirked as he reached forward and grabbed Stiles, leading him a little ways down the hall and pushing him into an empty room; while one of his other men grabbed Jackson to do the same.

The last man lightly grabbed Teagan's arm and walked her inside the room. Chris grabbed Stiles and slammed him against the wall.

The man that had pulled her into the room, pushed her over towards Jackson and locked the door.

"Let him go." Teagan said, sounding a lot braver than she felt.

She reached out to grab Chris's arm to pull him away from Stiles but before she could, the man who'd grabbed her earlier intervened by pinning her arms behind her back, and holding her still.

Jackson yelled out as he tried to step forward to help her, but the other hunter kept him still.

"Let me ask you a question Stiles." Chris started to say, "Have you ever seen a rabid dog?"

"No. I could put it on my to-do list if you let me go." Stiles answered sarcastically.

"Well I have, and the only thing I've ever been able to compare it to is seeing a friend of mine turn on a full moon." Chris Argent said, then asked, "Do you wanna know what happened?"

"Not really. No offense to your storytelling skills." Stiles said.

Chris ignored his comment, "He tried to kill me, and I was forced to put a bullet in his head. The whole while that he lay there dying, he was still trying to claw his way toward me, still trying to kill me, like it was the most important thing he could do with his last breath."

"Maybe you need to pick better friends." Teagan snapped, then cried out in pain when the man holding her squeezed her arms and told her to shut up.

"Can you imagine that?" Chris asked Stiles, ignoring her.

"No." Stiles answered, then added,"But I think Teagan is right, you need to be a little more selective..."

Before he could finish his remark, Chris slapped the wall beside Stiles, causing him to jump and Teagan to scream out. Jackson looked over at her, wishing he could comfort her in some way.

"Did Scott try to kill you on the full moon? Did you have to lock him up?" Mr. Argent demanded an answer from the teen.

"Yeah I did. I had to handcuff him to a radiator." Stiles answered, and then added,"Why? Would you prefer I lock him in the basement and burn the whole house down around him?"

Chris gave a bitter chuckle as he took a step back then said, "I hate to dispel a popular rumor, but we never did that."

"Maybe you didn't, but your bitch sister did." Teagan snapped. Then added,"Just like she kidnapped a teenage girl earlier today."

"She wouldn't." Chris said back, as he turned his head to look at her.

"Then where is Avery? One of her friends is in the hospital but yet she's not here. You don't find that a little strange?" Teagan asked.

She didn't wait for him to answer before she continued, "Or how about the fact that I got a text from her saying; she had to run home for taco night with her dad."

The man holding her said, "That doesn't prove anything."

Jackson shook his head, even he knew that meant something, then he said, "Avery and her dad don't have family dinners. The man is barely home long enough to speak to her."

"Plus she hates spicy food." Stiles pointed out.

When Teagan shot him a look, he said, "What? I've been watching her for years. I know her likes and dislikes."

"Anyway my point is, maybe it doesn't prove that your sister is behind it all, but it does prove that someone took Avery." Teagan explained.

"Now there are two people missing; Derek and Avery. Think about it, who would want to take Derek... a hunter would take him to question then kill him, but if he's not telling them what they want to hear, what do you do next?"

"You threaten him with something he loves." Chris answered quietly, realizing she was right.

"Exactly." Teagan said, then added, "Now you have two seconds to let us go so I can save my best friend or the alpha will be the least of your worries. I will come at you with all that I have because no one, and I mean no one messes with my friends."

"Let them go." Chris instructed his men.

As soon as he was free, Jackson rushed over to Teagan, just needing to be near her.

But she wasn't done with Chris as she said,"You better hope Avery is okay or I will make it my life's mission to make Kate and you lives a living hell."

"Let's go." Jackson said, as he lightly grabbed her arm and began to walk towards the door.

Stiles raced out of the room after them and walked along beside her, with Jackson on her other side.

Stiles chuckled as he asked, "When did you get to be such a bad-ass?"

"I don't know where that came from." Teagan said, she'd even surprised herself, but she knew Avery would be proud.

"Me either, but it was hot." Jackson said with a smirk.

Teagan shook her head and chuckled, "Come on, let's go save Avery. But first we need to make stop…"

**~()~**

Avery looked around terrified as her arm was throbbing from her broken fingers, Kate led her through a brick tunnel going deeper unground until she came to a large metal door.

Unlocking it she slid it open and Avery stared wide eyed at Derek who was chained up on some floor to ceiling metal bars, her eyes went to some wires that were taped to his bare side.

Weakened from the torture and the electrical currents, Derek's head hung as he looked down to the floor, not even wanting to see Kate walk back in the room.

But when he heard a second heart beat he looked up, his gaze stopping on Avery as she stared back at him wide-eyed.

Derek's own heart started to race. This is what he'd feared would happen; hunters would use Avery against him.

As Kate moved her further into the room, the movements jarred her broken fingers and her hand started to throb again.

She gasped in pain and Derek growled at Kate as his face shifted into his werewolf form.

"You see this? This is what you've been dating, a monster." Kate said pointing to Derek.

Avery narrowed her eyes as she looked at Kate, "You're the only monster I see in this room."

Kate let out a small laugh before she hit Avery, immediately the skin on her cheek bone busted open from the impact of the blow.

Avery stumbled backwards with a yelp of pain, and Derek struggled against the chains holding him to the wall as he growled.

Grabbing a fist full of Avery's long blonde hair Kate said, "This all could have been avoided if you'd just told me who the alpha was, or even tossed me a bone with the name of the other beta."

Derek looked at Avery, realizing she was withholding the information, because she knew it was the only thing keeping him alive.

Avery swallowed hard, "I can't tell you what I don't know…" she started to say but Kate silenced her as she punched her again.

"Stop it!" Derek growled still trying to break free of the chains, he wanted to rip the female hunter apart for hurting Avery.

"You know Derek, I'm starting to sense a theme here. You have something you love; and I rip it away from you." Kate said as she looked at Avery who's cheek was bloody was swollen.

Avery had never been in so much pain in her entire life, she'd never had any broken bones.

The worst that had happened to her was a sprained elbow when she fell out of a tree as a kid, at the time she'd thought that had to have been the worst pain in the world.

But when she saw the look in Derek's eyes, she wasn't sure what was hurting her more; the broken bones and bruised face or seeing him feel like her pain was his fault.

Kate pushed Avery towards the metal bars and made her sit down on the floor, as she tied her ankles together too.

"It's just like history repeating itself." Kate said as she walked over to the table with the machines the wires were hooked up to.

Avery's heart started to race as her eyes scanned the wires again.

Taking a deep breath Avery pinned her eyes shut as Kate turned the machine on and it started to electrocute Derek.

He growled and yelled in pain as his body convulsed uncontrollably against the metal bars he was chained too.

Even with her eyes shut tears still ran down her cheeks; for the first time she really wished the alpha had killed her at the video store, or even at the school.

Any ending sounded better to her than Kate torturing her and Derek to hurt the other one.

She quickly shut the machine off as she turned and looked at them.

"History repeating. That's it! Jackson might have a scratch on the back of his neck, but he's not in love with Allison. Not like Scott is." She realized looking between them.

"Scott's the second beta… I'll be damned." She breathed out.

When neither of them responded she asked, "So then who's the alpha?"

They both stayed quiet.

"You two are real trip, you know that?" Kate said as she crossed the room and picked up a knife from her bag.

"Unfortunately, for the both of you. I need to keep Scott away from my niece so I'm going to have to speed things up a bit." She said as she cut the ropes binding Avery's left arm to the metal pole.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked the question that Avery was afraid to.

"Speeding things up." Kate said, nonchalantly as she looked down and quickly swiped the sharp blade down Avery's wrist.

"No!" Derek yelled as Avery yelled out in pain.

Kate dropped Avery's wrist as blood was already starting to puddle up on the floor.

Her breathing was labored as her arm throbbed and more blood gushed from the wound, and she stared at her arm her disbelief.

Derek stared at her, his eyes wide with horror.

"Poor Avery, she fell in love with the wrong guy. Then after he almost killed her and her friends, she just couldn't take it anymore." Kate said looking at Derek.

"You're going to make this look like a suicide? After you broke 2 fingers and beat me up?" Avery asked.

"They'll think he beat you…" Kate reasoned nodding to Derek. She was well aware that almost the entire town thought Derek had tried to kill Avery a few times.

"It'll never work, no one's going to believe she killed herself. You're not going to get away with it." Derek said his jaw tense as he spoke, and his heart raced inside his chest.

"It's not too farfetched for someone who swallowed a bottle of her dads sleeping pills at 14, now is it?" Kate said with a smirk.

Derek looked over at Avery who avoided his eyes and continued to stare at her badly bleeding wrist.

Avery had turned 14, 2 months after Teagan had moved away. Just like the year before when she'd turned 13 her dad had forgotten about her birthday.

But that year she'd never felt more alone, everything had just been adding up and she'd held it all in; it felt like she didn't have anyone.

To begin with she only took a few of the pills, just wanting to sleep and forget about the world, but soon she realized that not only did she want to sleep; she never wanted to wake up.

It had seemed peaceful to her at the time, the thought of just laying down to sleep and slowly drifting away.

But her dad found her and rushed her to the hospital where they pumped her stomach and managed to save her.

For the next 3 months she lived at an in-treatment facility in Long Beach, California.

Everyone thought she was taking a vacation, no one knew what really happened but her and her dad.

Kate had somehow managed to see Avery's medical records.

"Tell me who the alpha is and she might make it, after he's dead. I'll let her go." Kate said to Derek.

"Stay quiet, and I'll cut the other wrist." Kate warned as she walked back over to Avery. Carefully stepping around the growing puddle of blood.

Derek watched as Kate was about to cut the other ropes holding her right arm, "It's Peter… my uncle." Derek said finally caving under Kate's pressure and the fear of Avery dying.

Avery closed her eyes and groaned as she leaned her head back against the cold metal and thought for sure Kate was going to kill them both now.

"I didn't see that coming." She admitted as she pulled on her coat.

"I'm going to take care of this nasty little werewolf problem. Derek you hold down the fort and uh, keep an eye on her… she's not looking so good." Kate said taking one last look between them before she left shutting the metal door behind her.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading chapter 35! Can you guys believe we're at the end of season 1? **

**On my profile are the links to the 3 YouTube videos I've posted for this story.**

**If you're on Tumblr, Miss E Charlotte has the link to her Tumblr account up on her profile. And as always, the links to our Polyvore accounts are also on our individual pages.**

**Please take a few moments to show you're support and leave us a review. Even if it's just a few lines to let us know you've read the chapter, we'd really appreciate it. ^_^**


	36. Butterflies

**Butterflies -Chapter 36**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

The room was silent for a few moments, Derek didn't know what to say to her. He felt like it was entirely his fault.

"You know… I really hope she does find Peter. And I hope he tears her limb for limb." Avery said not looking up to Derek, she didn't want to see the look on his face.

"You need to keep pressure on that." Derek instructed.

"How? I can't even use my left hand to untie my right one; she broke 2 of my fingers." Avery said dryly as she finally looked up at him.

"Raise your arm above your head, and hold into your wrist with your other hand. It will slow the bleeding." He instructed.

"I don't really see the point." Avery admitted.

Every time she moved her arm it caused agonizing pain.

"Just do it! It will slow the bleeding." Derek yelled as he pulled against the handcuffs trying to break free.

She groaned in pain as his movement shook the bars she was also tied to.

Biting down on her bottom lip and whining in pain she did as he told her.

Her nose curled in disgust as the blood now ran down her arms and onto her instead of just onto the floor beside her.

"I'm sorry." Derek started to say but a loud howl cut him off.

Avery looked up at Derek, "Was that Scott?" She asked, shocked.

Derek took a deep breath and answered the howl, signaling his location.

Avery closed her eyes, the loud noise hurt her ears as it echoed through the underground cellar.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Derek." She said, responding to his earlier statement.

"I put you in danger." He argued.

She shook her head back and forth, "It's not your fault… my dying isn't on you."

He turned his head and looked down to where she was sitting.

"You're not dying." He said, it sounded more like a threat than a reassuring comment .

She nodded but didn't believe his words.

After a small pause she said, "I really do love you." Her voice was soft and slightly strained from pain as she rested her head back against the bars and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her arm.

Derek stared at her a few seconds, "I love you." He said, his voice quiet too as the room was silent.

She gave him a weak half smile, "I know." She said.

Derek looked around the room hoping Scott would get there soon, he didn't know how much time she had left.

"The death of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world." Avery said as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the metal pole.

"What?" Derek asked, thrown off by her words.

"It's a quote, by Edgar Allen Poe." Avery explained.

"I don't care who said it, you're not dying." Derek argued.

"I love all of his poems and short stories… so macabre and beautiful." She continued.

"Avery listen to me. Scott is on his way, you're not going to die. Not like this." Derek said, determined to get her out of there.

"It's why I got my tattoo…" she said her voice trailing off as she thought of the word 'Nevermore' tattooed across her left wrist with a crow perched on the letter "N".

At that thought her eyes popped open and she looked up at him, "My tattoo… she ruined my tattoo!"

Before Derek could say anything she said, "That bitch… she cut my wrist with the tattoo!"

"Calm down." Derek told her as she started to panic.

Avery knew the thoughts running through her head were irrational and they had much bigger problems at hand, but the only thing she could think of was that her tattoo had been ruined.

She looked up at him, as sweat beaded across her forehead, "I have 2 wrists, she could have cut the other one."

"Avery! You have to calm down, panicking is only going to make to you bleed out faster!" Derek yelled.

She felt like she couldn't breathe and she let go of her injured arm; she was so panicked she didn't even feel the pain when it landed on her lap.

"I have wanted that tattoo since I was 10 years old!" Avery continued to panic.

"Shut up! I don't care about the tattoo, I care about you!" Derek yelled feeling more panicked than before.

They were interrupted when Scott opened the door.

"Oh my god!" He gasped as he saw Avery covered in blood, and her face bruised.

"What are you doing? Get her out of here." Derek instructed him, when Scott didn't move.

Scott darted across the room and used his claws to cut the ropes on her arm and legs as he helped her to her feet.

She finally was able to take a deep breath, but it made her feel lightheaded from the loss of blood and she swayed some.

Scott steadied her.

"Go!" Derek said nodding at Scott.

"Unchain him." She demanded looking at Scott.

"Just get her out of here." Derek yelled over her voice; his only concern at that point was her life.

"You look really, really bad." Scott said, agreeing with Derek.

"And I'm going to look a lot worse if you don't help him, because I'm not leaving without him." She said, her voice was stronger than she felt.

Without another word, Scott helped break the handcuffs and chains that had kept Derek bound.

Derek quickly grabbed one of Kate's zip-up sweatshirts she'd left on the table, and ripped the sleeve off and tied it tightly around her bleeding wrist, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I told you you're not dying." Derek said to her as he pulled on his own shirt and jacket.

The 3 made their way out of the cellar as Scott explained to Derek that Peter had used the deer with the spiral on its side to lure Laura to town so he could kill her.

Avery sat leaned up against a tree, her breathing ragged as she stared down to her wrist where Derek had tied the cloth around it to slow the bleeding.

She had seen Peter drag Kate inside of the house, and Allison ran in after them.

Whimpering in pain she rested her head back against the trunk of the tree, as she fought to keep her eyes open; but she was feeling weaker by the moment.

Hearing some leaves rustle, followed by a pained groan. She looked up to see Derek sit up from where he'd fallen after Allison shot him with arrows and Kate had shot him with a gun.

She watched him as he pulled the arrow from his shoulder and leg.

"Peter took Kate in the house… Allison ran in after them." She whispered.

Derek quickly turned his head and looked at her, in a moment he was at her side.

He looked her over, she was looking even worse than before.

Hearing a noise they both looked over to see Scott race into the house after Allison.

"Go ahead." She said, knowing there was no way Scott could take the alpha down by himself.

"Keep your eyes open, just stay awake." He said as he held onto the side of her face.

She nodded and he leaned down pressing a kiss to her lips, pulling back he brushed some of her sweat soaked hair from her face and repeated, "Stay awake."

She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when he took her injured arm in his hands.

Pausing to look at her face for a few moments, he tightened the cloth around it, causing her to scream out in pain before he took some of her pain.

"I'm sorry." He breathed out as he pressed another kiss to her lips before running into the house.

Her eyelids grew heavier and her breathing even more labored as she started to think about how she was just outside of the house her mom had died in.

Ironic, she thought that she was probably going to die on the same property her mother did all because of the same woman, and only because they were friends with werewolves.

Then her mind flashed to the day of her moms funeral, and how upset her dad was. Her heart broke as she thought of him having to bury her too and he wouldn't understand what happened.

Suddenly, more memories filled her head. Memories of growing up in Beacon Hills with Teagan, and all the memories the best friends had made over the years.

Tears burnt her eyes as she wondered what Teagan would do without her. And then there was Derek, who finally opened up and let someone in… only to have them ripped out of his life just like his family was.

Strangely enough, she was thinking of Stiles too. She remembered what he'd told her at the school when they were trapped, he told her he wouldn't know what to do if he lost her. She regretted not being nicer to him, she knew how much he liked her and for a while she just enjoyed the attention and toyed with him.

But now that they were friends, she really cared about him; maybe even a little more than she'd like to admit.

Her eyes started to close and she was so tired of fighting to stay awake.

She gasped and was jolted awake by the sound of glass shattering, she looked over and saw Peter in his wolf form standing over Scott who was trying to get up off the ground.

After Scott got up, he kicked the alpha and sent him stumbling backwards.

As he stood up the scene was illuminated by a pair of headlights and a car horn sounded through the woods.

Looking up she saw Stiles throw a bottle with the ingredients to make a self-igniting Molotov cocktail at the alpha, but he caught it.

Avery closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Avery!" She heard Teagan scream.

Opening her eyes she saw her best friend racing towards her.

"A, oh my god..." Teagan said, tears poured down her cheeks as she dropped to her knees on the cold, hard ground beside her.

"Hey…" was all Avery managed to say to her.

"Where's the blood coming from? Where are you hurt?" Teagan demanded to know.

"My wrist… she cut my wrist." Avery admitted, her voice was strained and hoarse.

Teagan looked down, her hands shaking as she saw the amount of blood that her friend was covered in.

"Teagan, listen to me… I know how this is going to look, but you have to tell my dad it's not suicide. Say my car got broken into and I got into a fight and they cut me to make it look like I killed myself. Tell him anything, I don't care. But he has to know I didn't do this to myself." Avery said as her eyes started to close again.

Grabbing her injured arm Teagan squeezed Avery's wrist with both hands trying to slow the bleeding more.

Avery's body arched forward from the tree and she screamed out in pain as she tried to pull her arm away.

"I'm sorry." Teagan sobbed, as she kept her hold tight.

"I'm not telling your dad anything. We'll tell him together at the hospital after they stitch you up. That's all we need, a few stitches." Teagan cried as she sat down beside her friend and wrapped an arm around her.

She kept pressure on Avery's wrist with her other hand.

Teagan looked up to see that the alpha was on fire, she'd been so worried about her friend she was oblivious to the scene playing out behind her.

She watched as Jackson threw the Molotov cocktail he had, and it exploded on impact, making the flames entirely consume the alpha's body.

Stiles stared at the two girls, unable to make his feet move.

From where he was he couldn't see that Avery was covered in blood, but he could hear Teagan's loud sobs from where he was, and he knew with the way she was cradling Avery in her arms, it wasn't good.

Jackson started towards them, but stopped when the alpha stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

Avery breathed a small sigh of relief as she saw Derek emerge from the house.

"Teagan, please stop crying." Avery said, her voice weak as she spoke.

Teagan's mind was racing back to when she'd first found out that her mom had been killed, she thought about the conversation she and her dad had –had about her mom wanting to be cremated and have the ashes buried with a private service.

She gasped for air when she looked back down and saw the blood that was now on them both. She couldn't bury her best friend.

"Hey… you remember that play we both got cast in –in like 3rd grade?" Avery asked with a small smile.

"The one where we played the butterflies?" Teagan asked, finally able to take a breath.

"Yeah… I'm pretty sure it was 4th grade though." Teagan corrected, wondering why Avery was bringing up grade school.

"Yeah, and our moms got together and sewed our costumes?" Avery continued.

Teagan's confused expression grew, "Yeah, why?"

"Then I got in trouble right before our scene, because that girl made fun of your terrible haircut and I slapped her. And our teacher wouldn't let me preform." Avery continued.

Teagan let out a small surprised laugh as she remembered the night of the play.

"You tried to tell me that you couldn't go on stage by yourself, that you weren't brave enough to go on without me?" Avery reminded her.

"And you told me that I didn't know how strong I was, and that even if you weren't right by my side that you were still with me and I'd be fine." Teagan said nodding as she looked up to see Derek standing over his uncle as he lay dying on the ground.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Teagan asked, when Avery didn't say anything.

"Because Teagan, you're stronger than you know. And even if I'm not right beside you… you're going to be fine." She said, her voice barely over a whisper.

"I'm going to be fine, because you are going to be by my side. For prom and graduation and college, we've got a whole lifetime of memories to make so you're not checking out on me early." Teagan said, her voice strong as her tears slowed.

She knew she needed to be strong for Avery.

Jackson started over to them, and the girls watched as Scott begged for Derek to help him kill Peter, so he could be cured and live a human life with Allison.

But Derek had other plans, he hadn't intended on killing Peter to become the alpha. But after what he saw that day, he knew the only way to keep both him and Avery alive and safe was to be the strongest he could be; which meant becoming the alpha.

Jackson knelt down beside Teagan and held onto her shoulders as she continued to cradle Avery.

His eyes widened when he saw all the blood, he wasn't sure how anyone could lose that much blood and still be alive.

Avery and Teagan heard Peter say something, but they weren't close enough to make out his words.

"No!" Scott yelled as Derek raised his hand in the air and his claws came out.

Everyone watched as he slit his uncle's throat.

Avery's eyes started to close but she fought to keep them open as Derek stood up and turned around facing everyone.

"What did you do?" Scott yelled, feeling panicked.

He'd been counting on getting a cure so he could turn himself back to human.

"I'm the alpha now." Derek said, his voice had a growl to it as his eyes glowed red.

"Oh my god…" Avery breathed out as she started to drift in and out of unconsciousness.

"Jackson, Jackson! We have to get her out of here, she's lost so much blood!" Teagan begged as her watery eyes met his.

He nodded and picked Avery's limp body up, the movement jarred her back awake and she whined in pain.

Stiles opened the door and laid the passenger seat down so they could get Avery into the backseat of the Porsche.

Jackson slowed and came to a stop as he started to walk past Derek, he wasn't sure what Derek was going to do.

With his eyes still glowing red he growled, "Go!"

It caught Jackson off guard and he stumbled a little, before he quickly ran to the car where Teagan got into the backseat first and helped him guide Avery into the seat beside her.

With the 4 teens in the car, they sped towards the hospital.

On the way there Avery came to a few times and mumbled something about Derek, but none of them could understand what she was trying to say. But by the time they reached the hospital she was out cold again.

The staff got her onto a gurney and started to rush her into a room to start working on her, Teagan jogged beside the gurney staring down at her best friends unnaturally pale face.

"Miss, you can't come in here." One of the nurses said to Teagan.

"You don't understand, she's my best friend!" Teagan yelled back at her.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to wait out here." She said, as they blocked her from going in the room.

"No! I can't leave her!" Teagan yelled, but Jackson wrapped his arms around her and held her still while the last of the nurses and doctors moved into the room and shut the door behind them.

Teagan cried as she looked down to her blood stained hands and clutched onto Jackson's white dress shirt.

She felt like as long as she stayed by her friends side, she could somehow keep her alive. But now they'd taken Avery into a room away from Teagan; she felt helpless.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay." Jackson said, his voice calm as he tried to soothe her.

But he stared at the metal door wondering if anything was every really going to be okay again.

"I can't lose her…" Teagan continued to cry as Jackson held her close and started to lead her back to the waiting room.

She looked up and saw Stiles standing in the middle of the waiting room, his face was almost as pale as his white button up shirt as he stared at them.

"What did they say? She's going to be okay, right?" Stiles asked, his words jumbled together as his eyes stung with tears.

Teagan couldn't say anything as she continued to clutch onto Jackson with her bloody hands.

"They uh, they haven't told us anything." Jackson said.

Stiles took in a deep ragged breath and rubbed his hand over his hair.

**~()~**

Teagan was sitting in a waiting room chair next to Jackson who was still holding her.

Stiles sat in a chair across from them, they sat in silence. The only sound was Teagan's sniffles as she tried to breath after all the crying.

"Well?" Stiles asked as a doctor walked up to the group.

"Are any of you Miss Dukate's family?" He asked looking around the group.

"Yes. I'm her sister." Teagan immediately said.

"I know this is a difficult time, but we need to know what happened." The doctor said.

"Is she going to be okay?" Teagan demanded to know.

"We're doing everything we can. She's lost a lot of blood." The doctor said, his voice low.

"But she'll make it, right?" Teagan continued to ask.

"We really need to know what happened." The doctor repeated.

"Look, she's not talking to you right now. Just get in there and do your damn job!" Jackson snapped at seeing how much more upset the doctors presence was making Teagan.

"No, it's okay. I need to tell them what really happened, they need to know she didn't do this to herself." Teagan said, her voice stronger than she felt as she began to tell the doctor that Avery's car had been broken into and she'd gotten into a fight with the group who did it.

Teagan explained that someone in the group had to have cut her wrist to make it look like a suicide.

After they had stitched Avery up and examined her; they ruled that the wound wasn't self-inflicted and with her other injuries it was obvious someone had done it to her.

Now the only thing the three teens could do was wait and see if Avery was strong enough to pull through it and survive.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I really hope you all liked the chapter.**

**If you haven't yet make sure to follow Miss E Charlotte on Tumblr and checks the links on my profile for the videos I've made to go along with this story.**

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	37. That's Precious

**That's Precious -Chapter 37**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

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The next morning Teagan gasped as she woke up startled by a doctor being paged over the intercom.

It took her a few moments to remember the prior night's events and what had all happened.

But as soon as her mind was caught up, she wished she could forget again.

"T, hey… you okay?" Jackson groaned as he tilted his head from side to side trying to pop his neck.

"My best friend almost died." She stated flatly.

"I'm sorry… I didn't even realize where we were at first." He admitted, immediately feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry Jackson… when I first woke up I couldn't remember what was going on either. I just, I'm just still really shaken up." Teagan admitted.

Reaching over Jackson took her hand in his own and gently rubbed his thumb over her skin as he said, "It's okay… it's going to be okay."

She nodded, she needed to believe him and stop thinking worse case scenarios.

Seeing she wasn't calming down much Jackson said, "Stiles went and got her clothes and some things from her house, and she'll wake up soon."

"Yeah." Teagan said nodding with a small smile.

"You want me to go get your some breakfast or something?" Jackson asked.

"Uh, maybe just some water. Not so sure I can stomach any food right now." She explained a she placed a hand over her stomach.

"I'll be right back." He nodded.

"Thank you." Teagan said softly.

"Yeah, no problem." Jackson said, thinking she meant for going to get a water.

"I don't just mean for the water. I mean, for being here with me and helping us last night… and for being a friend." Teagan said.

Jackson gave her a small smile before he left the waiting room.

Teagan looked down at Avery's black t-shirt that she was wearing.

Once they had gotten Avery stitched up and stopped the bleeding, they said she had a good chance of making it. But it was still a little touch and go.

Teagan knew how much Avery hated the hospital gowns, and every time she was in the hospital she demanded she got to wear her own pajamas, and she was afraid to leave in case they got news. So she had Stiles go to Avery's house for her.

He'd grabbed Teagan a shirt to wear since her own shirt was bloody.

She sat on the edge of her seat and rubbed her eyes, she stopped moving when she heard Stiles let out a soft, low laugh.

Her eyes widened when she saw he was asleep on the other side of the waiting room sleeping across a span of the arm rests of 3 chairs.

He smiled in his sleep and laughed again and Teagan was pretty sure she heard him say her best friends name.

"Did he just say something about Avery?" Jackson asked as he walked up and handed Teagan her bottle of water.

"Pretty sure, yeah." Teagan said as she cocked her head to the side.

"How the hell is he sleeping like that?" Jackson thought out loud after a few minutes.

Teagan opened her mouth to say something but Stiles mumbled, "Just like that…"

"Oh my god…" Teagan said as she started to laugh and looked up at Jackson who shook his head and couldn't help but laugh too.

"No, no… you first." Stiles mumbled in his sleep.

"Should we wake him up?" Teagan asked trying to hold in her laughter.

Before Jackson could answer her; Stiles said, "Me first?" followed by a laugh and then he started to snore.

"Why wake him up? We should record this…" Jackson said as he felt his pockets for his phone.

"Stop!" Teagan whisper yelled as she playfully hit Jackson and shook her head.

She sat back down in her chair and Jackson took his seat beside her, she opened her bottle of water and took a drink which she almost choked on when Stiles started to make kissing noises.

"I'm going to wake him up." Teagan stated as she stood up.

"Teagan, there you are." Richard said as he walked over to them.

"Mr. Dukate, hey." Teagan greeted surprised to see him.

"When the doctor told me he'd been giving updates to her sister, it took me a little while to figure out what he was talking about." Richard admitted with a small smile.

"They wouldn't tell me anything unless I was family…" Teagan started to explain, but he held up his hand to silence her.

"You are family, you've always been more like sisters than just friends. It's okay." He said nodding.

"Jackson." Richard greeted with a nod.

"Mr. Dukate." Jackson greeted back.

"Have you heard anything new?" Teagan asked, her brown eyes wide.

"She's stable; they said she should heal up quickly since she's in otherwise good health. I just came from her room, she's not awake yet…" Richard said as he sat down across from the two teens, he thought of how pale she looked and the bruise on the side of her face.

Stiles snored loudly causing them all to look over at him.

"Is that the same boy that was gathering Avery's things last night?" Richard asked.

"Yeah." Jackson answered.

Letting out another small laugh in his sleep, Stiles said, "You're dirty."

"Stiles!" Teagan shouted before he could say anything else.

He woke up, jumping up from the chairs as he looked at them wide eyed, "Is Avery okay?" he asked.

Teagan nodded.

"She's going to be okay, they hope she'll be waking up soon." Richard answered as he looked the teen over.

"Good." He said relieved as he straightened his clothes out.

"So, uh. Who were you dreaming about?" Jackson asked with a smug smirk.

"No… no one. I wasn't dreaming about anyone, or anything. Nothing." Stiles stammered when he realized Avery's dad was with them.

Stiles crossed the room and sat down with them, on the other side of Teagan facing Mr. Dukate.

"Does anyone know where Derek is?" He asked the three teens.

"No." They all answered quickly.

He raised his eyebrows at their reactions.

"I only ask because they said while she was drifting in and out of consciousness she kept saying his name." Richard explained.

Stiles bit the inside of his lip and looked down at the floor.

"Derek didn't do what they say he did." Teagan said, her voice confident.

"All charges were dropped against him this morning." He informed them.

"Well, if any of you could get a hold of him and let him know that she's wanting to see him… I'd appreciate it." He said.

"Yeah." Teagan replied nodding.

"What the hell has been going on this year? This is the 3rd close call with death Avery's had. You all have had a few of your own, and I heard Lydia Martin is here because of some bite?" He asked out loud, as he shook his head.

The room fell silent and after a long pause he stood up and said, "I need to get going, I have to get to work."

Teagan's jaw tensed in anger and she wanted to chew him out. His daughter was moments away from death and hours later he's going to work.

"There's papers that I have to fill out to take a family medical leave and put someone else in charge during my time off." He told them.

"Oh, okay…" Teagan said shocked that Avery's dad was taking a break from work.

It wasn't much later that they found out Lydia had disappeared from the hospital, Allison met up with them to say that her dad and a few of his friends left on a hunting trip to find her.

"Go, you guys have to go and find her before the hunters do." Teagan urged them.

"But Avery…" Stiles started to protest.

"I'll be here when she wakes up, but none of us can lose another person right now. You have to find Lydia." Teagan argued with them.

Jackson gave Teagan a hug before he left.

Allison headed outside to meet up with Scott, and Stiles reluctantly left to help them search.

**~()~**

After everyone left to go find Lydia, Teagan sat back down in the chair she had been sitting in all night. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair and laid her head against her hand with a tired sigh.

She didn't even realize her eyes had closed until she heard someone walk up to her and clear their throat causing her to snap awake as she looked up and was surprised to see Isaac in front of her.

"Isaac?" Teagan asked, as she rubbed at her eyes.

"Hey." Isaac said softly, as he sat down beside her with a small bag in his hand.

"Hi." Teagan said back with small smile, happy to see him.

"I heard about Avery and I figured you were here." Isaac said, then asked, "How is she?"

"They said she's going to be ok." Teagan said, with a relieved smile. Even though Avery's dad told her that earlier, it was like it finally hit her, her best friend was going to be ok.

"She's going to be ok. She will be ok." Teagan repeated, as tears filled her eyes.

"But-but that's good right?" Isaac asked confused as to why she was crying.

"Yes, yes it is great." Teagan said, as she wiped the tears from her face, then said, "I'm sorry. I think it just hit me that she will be ok."

She felt more tears appear as she added, "For a moment I honestly thought she wasn't going to make it. There was so much blood, Isaac. It was everywhere and she looked so pale and was weak. I-I thought she was going to die."

"But she didn't. She's ok." Isaac reminded her, as he turned in his seat to face her. He reached forward the wipe the tears from her cheek then kept his hand near her cheek, wanting to rest it against her skin but wasn't sure if he should touch her again or not.

Before he could make up his mind, she tilted her head to the side and laid her cheek against his hand, wanting to feel comforted by him. She closed her eyes and softly sighed when he lightly stroked her cheek.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him with a small smile on her face as she said softly, "I'm glad you're here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." Isaac said honestly as they locked eyes, then he added, "When I heard she was attacked I came as soon as I could. I was worried about her... and you."

Teagan smiled at his words then glanced down to see the bag in his hand for the first time then nodded her head toward it as she asked, "What is that?"

"I um, I brought her something. To cheer her up." Isaac shyly admitted, as his cheeks turned red.

"May I?" Teagan asked, asking if she could look.

"It's stupid, but I thought... I was hoping it would make her laugh or something." Isaac said, as he handed her the bag.

Teagan looked inside the bag to see a pair of black fuzzy handcuffs. She looked up at Isaac with raised eyebrows as she joked, "Something I should know about you two?"

"N-no. No, I swear there is nothing going on with me a-and Avery. It was an inside joke." Isaac quickly explained, not wanting her to give the wrong idea. The last thing he wanted was for Teagan to think he was interested in Avery. He opened his mouth to explain to her about the time Avery joked about hand cuffing herself to him to get him to her party, but before he could say anything, Teagan began to laugh.

"Isaac, it's ok. I know. Avery told me about the conversation you two had. Trust me she has threatened to handcuff me to her plenty of times in the past when I didn't want to go somewhere." Teagan said with a laugh, letting him know she understood.

Isaac nodded his head as he reached out to take the bag from her hands then said, "Like I said I know it was stupid, but.."

"It's not stupid, Isaac." Teagan said interrupting him, then added, "Avery will think it's hilarious, plus she just loves getting presents no matter what it is."

Isaac nodded his head again, glad to hear that Avery would be happy with it. He had really started to second guess his purchase but if Teagan thought it was great then that made him feel better about it.

The two were quiet for a moment until Teagan began to chuckle, he looked over at her, wondering what was funny until she spoke up and said, "I can't wait to tell Avery how terrified you looked when I suggested something was going on between you two. Does she scare you that much?"

"Only a little." Isaac joked, then added, "But no seriously, I only see her as a friend and I didn't want you to think I liked Avery like that."

"Why?" Teagan asked, as her heart began to race. She had an idea why, but she wanted him to say it.

Isaac looked at her and nervously licked his lips. This was it. This was his moment to admit to her how much he likes her.

He could almost hear Avery in his head telling him to tell Teagan, that now was his perfect chance to go after what he wants, but the longer he looked at the girl before him, the more he lost his nerve.

What the hell was he thinking? This was the Teagan Young. You don't just tell a girl like Teagan Young that you like her, especially when her best friend was in the hospital after almost dying.

Besides he could plainly hear his dad telling him a girl like that would never love him. That no one would ever want him and he would never amount to anything.

Isaac glanced down at the floor, breaking eye contact, as he said, "I just didn't want a rumor to get started and cause problems."  
"I won't say anything." Teagan said, then added nervously, "so um, there isn't another reason? Like maybe a certain girl that you do like and you don't want her to get the wrong idea?"

"M-Maybe." Isaac said softly. He cleared this throat, feeling it go dry and his heart beat wildly in his chest. A part of him was wanting to just get it over with. Tell her, get rejected and move on with his life, but the other part of him was dreading the moment she found out. He was finally in her life, at least as a friend and he didn't want to lose that.

Teagan softly smiled at his answer and watched as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

She felt bad for making him uncomfortable, but she just wanted to know. She just wanted to know if he had the flutters whenever she was around the way she got for him. Or if he felt a tingle from his head to his toes whenever their skin accidentally made contact with each other. Was she constantly running through his mind the way he had been running through hers lately?

She took a deep breath, deciding that it was time to stop dancing around the subject and just ask, but before she could say a word, she heard someone call out her name. She glanced behind her and saw it was Scott's mom, who was a nurse at the hospital, who had called for her.

"Is everything ok?" Teagan asked with a worried expression, as she rushed over to the older woman.

"Yes, everything is fine." Melissa said with a smile, then said, "I just checked on Avery and we are really happy with her progress. We just moved her into a private room and we feel confident that she should be waking up soon if you wanted to sit with her and wait."

"Really?" Teagan asked happily. This was the first time she was even allowed to see Avery since she was brought in.

Melissa nodded her head then chuckled in surprise when Teagan rushed forward to hug her. Then she turned around to hug Isaac, who was standing behind her. She held on to him tightly, happy that she could finally see her best friend with her own eyes.

After getting the room number from Melissa, Teagan and Isaac walked down the hall toward Avery's room. Teagan took a deep breath then cautiously walked into the room.

She gasped in surprise and placed a hand over her mouth when she saw all the bruises on her face. She was too worried about all the blood the night before that she didn't look at all the other injures too much.

"Who could do something like that?" Isaac asked quietly from behind her, as he looked at Avery.

"A monster." Teagan whispered.

"Did they catch who did it yet?" Isaac asked. Him like everyone else thought someone had attacked her when she had car trouble.

Teagan shook her head as she took a step closer to the bed. She knew they were not going to catch who did it either since the one responsible, Kate, was killed by the alpha, but she couldn't tell him any of that.

"Well I hope whoever did do this gets what is coming to them." Isaac added.

"She did." Teagan mumbled to low for him to hear.

She slowly reached forward to hold Avery's right hand. She glanced over at her left hand and felt her heart break when she saw her stitched up wrist and cast.

The white cast was around her two broken fingers and reached down to her wrist, right above where Kate had cut her but was now stitched up.

Teagan glanced up at her face then said softly, "Hi A. You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

She leaned down to rest her head beside Avery's before she whispered, "I told you you were not leaving me yet."

"We're best friends for life, remember? We're going to grow up together, our kids are going to grow up together and then we're going to live together in a retirement home where you'll flirt with all the cute male nurses." Teagan added with a small laugh. Reminding her of the plan they had made a long time ago.

She raised her head to look at Avery and pushed her blonde hair from her forehead as she said, "Now you rest for as long as you need cause when you do wake up, I will be right here."

Teagan stood up straight and looked behind her where Isaac was. He was sitting on the small couch off to the side to give her privacy. She looked back at Avery then added with a small laugh, "Well I will be sitting over there with Isaac, but I will be in this room when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere, A."

She gave Avery a quick kiss on top of her head then made her way toward Isaac and sat down beside him with a sigh. She laid her head on his shoulder as she said with a smile, "She's ok."

With a smile still on her face, she closed her eyes, planning to just rest them for a minute but instead she fell asleep, her head still on Isaac's shoulder. When he heard her light breathing, he glanced down and saw her peaceful face.

He slowly raised his arm to lay it on the back of the couch while he carefully moving her head and resting it on his chest, where she would be more comfortable. While she slept on him, he laid his head back and ended up falling asleep too within minutes.

Close to an hour later, Avery groaned and slowly opened her eyes then quickly shut them when the bright white lights hit them.

She raised her good hand and rubbed her eyes before slowly opening them again. She glanced around the hospital room in confusion for a moment until the night before hit her.

She took a few deep breaths as her heart began to race when she thought about how close she came to dying.

She laid her head back against the pillow as tears began to fill her eyes. She felt close to losing control, feeling like she wanted to yell, cry or at least throw something until she opened her eyes and looked over at the other side of the room and saw something that made her smile and instantly calm down.

Her best friend Teagan and her new friend Isaac sleeping peacefully together on the couch.

"Now that's just precious." Avery whispered with a smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! ^_^ I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and the fact that we didn't kill off Avery. lol **

**Whenever you get the chance, I've got links up on my profile for videos I've made to go along with this story! I posted the most recent one today, it's about season 2! ^_^**

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	38. Second Chance at Life

**Second Chance at Life -Chapter 38**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

Teagan wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping, she didn't even know she had fallen asleep until she opened her eyes and noticed she was laying on someone. She slowly raised her head and smiled when she saw Isaac fast asleep.

She bit her bottom lip and watched as he slowly breathed in and out, his mouth opened slightly. She raised up from his chest then leaned her face toward his. She raised a hand, planning to push his hair back from his forehead until she heard a loud sigh coming from the hospital bed.

"Would you just kiss him already?" Avery called out.

"Avery." Teagan gasped in surprise, as she whipped her head to the side, groaning when a sharp pain went through her neck. But when she saw Avery sitting up in the bed smiling, she smiled back then laid her hand down on what she thought was the couch, planning to push herself up to rush to the bed, unfortunately her hand landed in Isaac's lap, causing him to snap awake as he groaned out in pain and placed his hand over his most sensitive areas.

"Oh my God! Isaac! I am so sorry." Teagan called out, as she placed her hands over her mouth and looked at him with wide eyes.

"I-it's ok." Isaac groaned out.

"I know I always say grab life by the balls, but that's not what I had in mind." Avery joked.

"Avery!" Teagan said, as she glanced over at her friend.

"What?" Avery asked innocently.

Teagan rolled her eyes and chuckled at her friend before she turned back to look at Isaac. She laid a hand on his shoulder, then asked softly, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah... I just... I'll be right back." Isaac breathed out, as he stood up and walked over to the private bathroom that was attached to Avery's hospital room.

"Smooth move T." Avery joked, once the two girls were alone.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that." Teagan mumbled, as she stood up from the couch and walked over toward the bed.

"I'm sure once the pain goes away he is going to be thrilled that you touched his junk." Avery pointed out with a small laugh.

"You are so mean." Teagan said, as she chuckled, then added as her eyes began to water, "But I've got to say, I would have missed your witty sense of humor."

"I am pretty witty." Avery agreed, then added, "But you also left out incredibly gorgeous, off the charts smart and the sweetest around."

"You're not that sweet." Teagan joked.

Avery playfully gasped in surprise then said, "I think I need to look for another best friend. I don't think the one I have now really appreciates me."

Teagan shook her head and chuckled, glad to see her joking around. Then when the bathroom door opened, the two girls looked over to see Isaac walking back into the room.

"Isaac would you like to be my new best friend?" Avery asked him, then added, "I just fired Teagan and now I need a new one."

"What?" Isaac asked confused.

"Don't listen to her. She has clearly had to much pain meds and is going crazy." Teagan said with a laugh.

"Going crazy? I always thought she was already crazy." Isaac added, causing Teagan to laugh out loud at the comment.

Avery's mouth dropped open in surprise then said, "I cannot believe you two are ganging up on me. You two are seriously perfect for each other."

Teagan bit her bottom lip as she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She glanced behind her to look at Isaac, who was standing behind her, and saw that his cheeks were red as well.

Teagan turned her head to look back at Avery then said to change the subject, "Isaac brought you something."

"A present?" Avery asked happily, then began to chant, "give me, give me."

"It's stupid and not that big of a deal." Isaac began to say.

"It's not stupid." Teagan argued, then added, "it's clever and funny and she's going to love it."

"What am I going to love? What is it?" Avery asked.

Isaac sighed, starting to second guess himself again, then turned to walk over to the couch to grab the small bag before walking back over toward the bed and handing Avery the bag.

Avery looked at him happily then opened the bag and laughed out loud when she saw the handcuffs. She looked up at Isaac with a wink and said, "Kinky. Didn't know you had it in you, Isaac."

"I know it's stupid but this is my way of telling you that I know you're getting out of here, even if I have to handcuff you to me and drag you around." Isaac said with a smile.

"Thank you, Isaac." Avery said with a genuine smile touched by his words and the meaning behind them. She never would have imagined before that the two would have become good friends but she was glad they did.

"Besides I just broke my other pair and needed some new ones." Avery joked.

"Ew! That is way more about your sex life than I need to know." Teagan said, as she wrinkled up her nose.

"I didn't say I broke it during sex." Avery pointed out with a laugh.

"You didn't have to. I know how kinky you are." Teagan said back.

"True." Avery said smiling. Then she held up the handcuffs as she said, "But if you two want to borrow them let me know. I don't mind sharing."

"Avery!" Teagan said, her face turning red again.

"What? It was a joke." Avery said innocently.

"I think you were right before. I think she has had to much medicine." Isaac joked.

"See, perfect for each other." Avery said, as she pointed to the two of them with a smile.

Avery continued to smile as she watched Teagan and Isaac look at each other with a shy grin upon their faces again. She wished they would just hurry up and date already. She was being honest before, they really would be perfect for each other.

As she continued to watch them, she couldn't help but think of Derek, wishing he was there by her side right now. Looking at her the way Isaac was looking at her best friend.

"Have you seen Derek?" Avery asked. Although she figured he was to busy with all his new alpha responsibilities to hang around a hospital.

"Not yet. But I'm sure he will show up soon." Teagan said, hoping she was right.

"Your dad was here all night." Teagan added, hoping that would cheer her up. Avery might act like she didn't care when her dad ignored her, but Teagan knew deep down all she wanted was a close relationship with her dad.

"Really?" Avery asked surprised with a small smile on her face.

Teagan nodded her head then added, "Then he went into work earlier..."

"Figures." Avery said trying not to feel disappointed, as she interrupted her.

"To put someone else in charge while he took some time off to be with you." Teagan finished.

"Seriously?" Avery asked with a wide smile.

"Yep. He said he just had to sign some paperwork then he would be back." Teagan explained.

"That's cool." Avery said, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal, but they could both see how happy she was about it.

The three talked for a little bit longer until Avery saw Teagan cover her mouth to yawn. She looked over at Isaac as she said, "As much as I am loving having you two here. Isaac will you take her home now?"

"What?" Teagan asked surprised.

"T, you are exhausted and if I had to bet, you have been here all night am I right?" Avery asked.

"Of course I was. I wasn't leaving until I saw you." Teagan pointed out.

"Well now you have so go home and rest." Avery said, then when Teagan shook her head she added, "Please T, for me. Go home and I don't want to see you again until tomorrow."

"But Avery..."

"I'm serious Teagan." She said interrupting her, then added, "If you don't go take care of yourself now, you're going to make yourself sick and end up right beside me."

"She's right. You need to eat and rest." Isaac said agreeing with Avery, as he laid a hand on Teagan's shoulder.

Teagan opened her mouth to argue again until Avery held up the handcuffs then playfully warned, "Don't make me handcuff you two together."  
"Ok fine." Teagan said with a sigh. She leaned down to hug Avery then said, "But I will be back first thing in the morning."

"And not a minute before." Avery warned her.

After saying 'bye' to Avery, Isaac lightly grabbed Teagan's hand and pulled her toward the door to leave the room. As the two walked out they almost bumped into Richard, who had just arrived back at the hospital.

He smiled at the teens then asked, "Hey, is she awake?"

"Yep she's awake and acting very Avery-like." Teagan said, smiling.

"That's great to hear." Richard said, smiling back, then added, "I'm glad you were here for her."

"I'll always be here for her." Teagan said, then added with a laugh, "except for right now since she is sending me home for the day."

Richard chuckled then said, "Well don't worry I'll keep an eye on her and call if anything happens."

"Thank you, Mr. Dukate." Teagan said.

"Now go get some rest." Richard said, before opening the door and walking inside.

"Do I really look that bad?" Teagan asked Isaac once they were alone in the hall.

"What?" Isaac asked confused.

"Everyone keeps telling me I need to get some sleep. Do I really look that bad?" Teagan asked with a frown.

Isaac looked over at her as he said honestly, "I think you've never looked more beautiful."

Teagan smiled at his words and felt her heart skip a beat when he reached out to grab her hand again and the two walked down the hallway together to leave the hospital.

**~()~**

Stiles walked into Avery's hospital room and stared at the empty bed, he started to panic for a minute but then saw the bathroom door was shut and could see light shining under the door.

Breathing a sigh of relief he crossed the room and tied the balloons he got her on the bed rail.

He started to sit down in the chair by her bed, but stopped when he heard her make a noise from the bathroom.

He listened and could hear her mumble, "Seriously, come on. You've still got one good hand."

Stiles accidently bumped the bedside table as he tried to walk closer to the bathroom.

He froze when it made a loud noise and he almost fell.

"Who's out there?" He heard Avery ask.

He smiled to himself, she still sounded weak but he was happy just to hear her voice.

"Uh, it's just me… do you want me to leave?" He asked, not sure what was going on the bathroom.

"It depends. Who's me?" she asked, irritation in her voice.

"Stiles…" He said.

"Do you see a nurse?" Avery asked.

He walked over and poked his head out in the empty hallway.

"No, I think their changing shifts. Are you okay." He asked.

"Not really… I need a nurse, or at least a woman." She responded.

"I'm the only one here here…" He responded again.

"Well, screw it… you're better than no one, I guess. Shut the door to the room." She said.

Shutting the main door to the room he said, "Hey, I…" He started to point out that they were friends now, but his voice trailed off into a barely audible noise and his eyes widened as the bathroom door opened and she stood with her bare back to him.

His eyes traveled from the waist band of her dark purple pajama pants up over the bare skin on her back.

"Stiles?" She asked.

He didn't respond, just continued to stare at her in shock.

"Oh dear god, you didn't pass out did you? It's just my back…" she muttered.

"I… I'm here." He finally managed to say.

"Good, I can't fasten my bra. Can you do it?" She asked.

"Uh, I… yeah, I think so." He said as he walked closer, his breathing growing a little shallow.

She stood with her bra covering her chest, as she held it against her with her good arm.

He stopped a few inches away from her back as he reached forward and slowly pulled the straps up on her shoulders, and then held onto each side of the back as he eyed the metal clasps.

He'd started to fasten it, but his eyes traveled over her lightly tanned skin again.

"Stiles!" She exclaimed frustrated at him.

"Sorry…" He breathed out as it took him a few tries, but after a little while he managed to fasten it.

"Thank you, now my shirt is hanging on the bathroom door." She said.

He looked back down at her mostly bare back, in disbelief at what he'd just done, and that she was standing only half dressed in front of him. That had only ever happened in his dreams before.

"It's on the door." She repeated.

"What?" He stuttered.

"Forget it, I'll get it myself." She said as she turned and faced him.

"Oh… good god…" He breathed out as he looked at her cleavage peeking out from the top of the lightly padded, dark red bra.

The corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile at his reaction.

Putting her hand on the center of his chest, she walked forward and pushed him out of the bathroom and then shut the door in his face.

After a small struggle she managed to pull the shirt on and open the door, to see he was still standing in the same spot.

Looking away from her he said, "Do you want me to leave?"

"Why?" she asked.

"In case you're uncomfortable." He said.

"It's not like I was naked." She reminded him.

"Anyways, thank you for helping me." She said, but he didn't respond.

"Stop thinking about me naked!" She exclaimed as she hit his shoulder with her good hand.

"Sorry, I can't help it…" He began to but his voice trailed off as he saw her face.

"Oh my god." He said as he took her chin in his hand and turned her head, he looked over the dark bruised skin and busted skin over her cheek bone.

"Yeah… she punched me." Avery said quietly, her mind flashing back.

The room was silent before she said, "I… I need to sit down, I'm still weak."

"Yeah." He said nodding as he helped her over to her bed.

"Help me get this sling back on before Scott's mom finds out I took it off again, she threatened to super glue it to me earlier." She said nodding to the cloth elbow sling laying on her bed.

He was silent as he helped her get her injured arm back in it, his eyes stopped on the splint on her fingers.

"What's wrong with your hand?" He asked her as he sat down on the bed and faced her.

"My broken fingers." Avery said, acting like he already knew.

"What?" He gasped.

"What did you think happened to me?" She asked confused.

"That she cut your wrist." Stiles admitted. He hadn't known it but Teagan spared him some of the details.

"Oh…" she said.

"Why'd she break your fingers?" He asked her, a pained look on his face.

"To try to make me tell her who the alpha was." She explained.

"It took 2 fingers for that? I would have told after she broke the first one." He said running a hand over his hair.

"I didn't tell her. Derek told her to get her to stop hurting me." Avery explained.

"You didn't tell?" He asked shocked.

Avery shook her head back and forth.

"Why wouldn't you just tell her?" He asked, his stomach turned at the thought of how much pain she endured.

"Knowing who the alpha was but not telling her was the only leverage we had, if I'd told her… she wouldn't have needed Derek anymore and she would have killed him." Avery said, her eyes filled with tears as she remembered seeing him chained up and being electrocuted.

The pained expression on his face grew at her words, she'd let Kate torture her to keep Derek alive.

"She was right." Stiles said softly.

"Who?" Avery asked growing confused.

"Teagan, she'd said you'd walk through hell to save someone you love… she was right." He repeated.

Avery was silent as she looked at him, not sure what to say.

Now that it was over and she looked back at the prior night, she really had no idea how she'd withstood the pain.

The thought of going through something like that again turned her stomach.

Trying to take her mind off the painful thoughts she said, "Did you have fun raiding my underwear drawer?"

"What?" He asked, startled from his thoughts.

"You're the one who brought me that bag of clothes, right?" She asked.

"Did Teagan tell you?" He asked her.

"She didn't have to, it was process of elimination." She said with a smirk.

"How?" He questioned as his eyes met hers.

"Teagan wouldn't have left the hospital, and if she did she'd grab the first thing she came to not worried about matching them. Jackson wasn't going to leave Teagan's side, and I seriously doubt my dad would have even gone through my dresser." She explained.

After a small pause and another smirk she said, "There was 3 matching bra and underwear sets."

"Oh." Stiles said with a small laugh.

She laughed with him, and the pair talked for close to an hour when he said "The one thing that doesn't make sense to me is why Kate thought she could make it look like a suicide."

"It would have been a smart plan if she hadn't beaten me up first." Avery reasoned.

"How? No one would have believed it." He stated.

"Yeah, they would have." She said her voice barely over a whisper.

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"Because it wouldn't have been my first suicide attempt, one look at my medical records and they'd have bought the story." She said avoiding his eyes as she spoke.

"You… you slit your wrist before?" He asked shocked.

"No, I… I took a whole bottle of sleeping pills." She admitted, it was the first time she'd talked about it since her therapy at the treatment facility.

"When?" He asked, his eyes wide.

"It was a long time ago." She assured him.

"When?" He asked louder, demanding an answer.

"When I turned 14." She explained, looking down to the blanket on the hospital bed.

He was silent as he tried to process what she was saying.

Admiring her from afar for years, it had seemed like she lived a good life.

But it wasn't until he started to get to know her that he was able to see her pain under the surface.

"Stop sitting there and looking like someone killed your puppy. I'm fine, it was a long time ago and I'm doing better." She assured him as she reached forward and put her hand on his arm.

It still took her by surprise how much he cared about her.

"That's why you were gone for a few months from school." He remembered.

"Yeah, I was at an in-patient treatment facility in another town. How'd you know that?" She asked; she didn't even know who he was back then.

"I was sad because I thought you'd moved away with Teagan." He admitted.

"You know, sometimes it's sweet that you know so much about me… and other times it's just kind of creepy." She admitted with raised eyebrows.

"You can't tell anyone. No one knows except for my dad and I. And Derek knows now because of Kate." Avery quickly said.

"I wasn't going to say anything." He said before pausing and looking at her as he said, "You're really okay now?"

"I'm okay." She said nodding.

Changing the subject to more happier topics, they talked for another hour before the nurse came in and gave her another dose of pain medicine and she laid down to sleep.

Stiles waited until she was sound asleep before leaving her room.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading, I hope you all liked the chapter. ^_^**

**We always love hearing from you, and your support means so much. Please, take a few moments to leave a review.**


	39. At Peace

**At Peace -Chapter 39**

* * *

_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

* * *

After leaving the hospital, Teagan handed her car keys over to Isaac, not trusting herself to drive after not having much sleep then sat down in the passenger seat.

As Isaac pulled out of the parking lot and begin to drive down the road, she stretched out as much as she could and rubbed her sore muscles on the back of her neck.

Isaac glanced over at her then looked back over at the road as he asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just sore from sitting in hard hospital chairs all night." Teagan answered, then added, "You would think they would invest in better chairs."

"The couch was pretty comfortable." Isaac pointed out, a small smile appeared on his face when he remembered the feel of her sleeping on him. That was some of the best sleep he had ever had.

Teagan glanced over at him, a smile on her face as well then said, "It was comfortable. So were you. Thank you for being my comfy body pillow."

"Anytime." Isaac said, as he glanced over at her smiling.

He saw her bite her bottom lip then looked down at her hands, which were resting in her lap, he was worried he had taken it a step to far. Deciding to change the subject, he cleared his throat then said, "I bet you're looking forward to lying in your own bed and sleeping."

"Yeah." Teagan agreed, then added, "But to be honest, right now I'm not even all that tired. I guess now that I know Avery is ok, I have all of this nervous energy that I need to get out."

"We could grab a bite to eat?" Isaac suggested without thinking. He felt his eyes go wide when he saw her turn her head to look at him from the corner of his eye. While he was worried that he had freaked her out again, she felt her heart racing as she wondered if he was actually trying to ask her out or just suggesting as friends.

Isaac cleared his throat then quickly explained, "I mean you know, as friends. I just figured you haven't had anything to eat since sometime yesterday."

"Right." She breathed out, feeling a little disappointed, then added, "honestly I'm not hungry either."

One thing she did know that she wanted was to spend some more time with Isaac. She was enjoying the way he made her feel when he was around. She felt nervous and giddy like a school girl having her first crush. He made her heart race and her palms sweaty. She had flutters and tingles all over. He made her feel calm and alive all at once. She had not felt this way since... well since Jackson.

Teagan laid her head back against the headrest, then turned it to look over at him as she asked shyly, "Do you um, do you have any plans? Like anywhere you have to be right now?"

Isaac glanced over at her in surprise, was she actually about to suggest they spend more time together?

He smiled and opened his mouth to tell her 'no' until he remembered he did have somewhere to be. He had to go to work. He wished he could just skip it for her, but he was probably already in trouble for skipping it that morning to be with her at the hospital. He had planned to work double time tonight to make up for it and hoped his dad never found out.

"Actually, I have to go to work." Isaac answered with a frown.

"Oh." Teagan said feeling disappointed. She was quiet for a few minutes until an idea hit her, she looked over at him and asked, "Can I go with you?"

"Seriously?" Isaac asked her surprised. He couldn't believe that not only was someone asking to spend time with him, but that someone was Teagan Young and she wanted to hang out with him in a creepy cemetery.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Teagan answered.

"Yeah that'll be great, but you remember where I work right? A cemetery." Isaac reminded her.

"Am I not special enough to be taken to a cemetery?" Teagan teased.

"You're too special to be taken to a cemetery." Isaac said correcting her, as he glanced over at her for a moment before looking back at the road.

"Well maybe next time you can take me somewhere a little more special." Teagan suggested with a smile.

"Next time?" Isaac asked nervously.

Teagan nodded her head then said, "I mean, you do like hanging out with me right? I was thinking maybe we can start hanging out more."

Isaac's mouth dropped open in surprise as he glanced over at her. He looked back at the road and cleared his throat as he tried to speak, but nothing would come out.

Her face fell a little as she quickly added, "I mean only if you want to though. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot Isaac, I just thought we were friends or... you know what, never mind it was stupid."

"No, no, no." Isaac finally said, as he looked over at her and said, "I love hanging out with you. I just... I didn't know you liked hanging out with me."

"I love being around you Isaac. There's just something about you... something about you that makes me feel..." She began to say, then paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing, "that makes me feel at peace. I mean when I first moved back I honestly wasn't sure if I could ever feel at home here again. So much was different and things are still different, but then I saw you at the cemetery, the day we buried mom's ashes and just for that one moment, talking to you I felt like everything would be ok. I felt calm and that wasn't the only time you have been able to calm me down."

"The panic attacks." Isaac said, remembering exactly what she was talking about.

Teagan nodded then said, "It's like you're my calm in the middle of a storm. When something bad is going on, you just show up and then things aren't so bad anymore."

Isaac softly smiled at her words then glanced over at her to say, "I know exactly what you mean."

She smiled back then chuckled as she said, "Sorry, I know I'm talking all crazy right now. It's just if the past twenty-four hours or so have taught me anything, it's that life is short, so if there is something you need to say then you should say it, don't save it for another day."

Isaac nodded his head, he knew she was right and he had plenty he needed to say to her, but even if he did agree, he just couldn't do it. The fear of rejection was winning this round.

"Besides like Avery always says, you got to grab life by the balls." Teagan joked, then blushed when she remembered when she accidentally hit Isaac between the legs earlier at the hospital.

"Just be careful who's balls you grab." Isaac joked back without thinking, remembering the same thing.

Teagan laughed then placed her hand over her mouth to hold it in, then said, "I am still so so sorry about that."

"It's ok. I know you didn't mean to." Isaac said.

Teagan sat up in the seat then turned to look at him as an idea hit her and she said, "I'll tell you what, I'll make it up to you."

Isaac glanced over at her with raised eyebrows, his mind automatically going to a dirty place and felt his pants getting tight in a certain area. He quickly looked away from her to look at the road again, his face turning red from his thoughts and was glad she couldn't read his mind. But even if she couldn't read it, she saw the look on his face and smirked, having a good idea of what he was thinking.

She chuckled then said, "You're thinking dirty thoughts aren't you?"

Isaac's eyes widened as he began to cough, causing her to laugh harder as she lightly patted his back. He cleared his throat a couple of times before saying, "No, no of course not."

"Uh-huh sure." Teagan said not believing him, then added, "I was going to say, I'll make it up to you by going to work with you and doing your job while you rest."

Isaac laughed then glanced over at her as he listed a few things he did every night, "You're going to pick up trash, cut grass, pull weeds and trim the hedges?"

"Yeah, it can't be that hard right?" Teagan asked with a shrug. She has helped her dad with yard work in the past and figured it would be no big deal, but boy was she wrong.

**~()~**

Close to an hour later, Teagan fell down to the ground with a groan. She laid flat on her back to look up at the night sky as she said, "No, no more. I give up. This is too hard."

Isaac laughed as he sat down beside her on the hard ground. Since arriving at the cemetery, he put her in charge of pulling weeds from around the tombstones while he was walking around picking up any trash that had made its way inside the cemetery.

"You do this every night?" Teagan asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. I just left out one tiny detail though." Isaac said, as he stood up from the ground.

Teagan sat up a little and leaned back on her elbows with a confused expression as she watched him walk over to the small building that held all the lawn care equipment. He went inside long enough to grab something, then came back out holding an electric weed trimmer.

"I use this instead of pulling weeds by hand." Isaac said with a laugh.

"You jerk!" Teagan called out as she gape in surprise.

Isaac laugh out loud then turned around to set the weed trimmer down, while his back was turned, she quickly stood up from the ground then raced over to him and jumped on his back. His knees buckled for a moment but he quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around her legs, holding on to her so she wouldn't fall off of his back.

"What are you doing?" Isaac asked her with a laugh.

"Making you carry me cause I am too tired to walk now." Teagan said, as she rested her head on top of his.

"You do realize we still have a lot more work to do right?" Isaac asked, as he chuckled again.

"Nope, no more work. Work is bad, sleep is good." Teagan said tiredly.  
Isaac laughed then said, "How about I carry you to your car then you go home and get some sleep while I finish up here? I still got to cut the grass and weeds, then I have a grave to dig."

"You have to dig a grave tonight?" Teagan asked with a shudder.

"Yeah, Allison's aunt's funeral is in a few days so I need to get started on it tonight." Isaac answered.

Teagan snapped awake and asked, "You're digging Kate Argent's grave tonight?"

As Isaac nodded his head, she snapped, "I'm awake now, put me down."

"Is everything ok?" Isaac asked surprised by her sudden mood change.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just uh, I just wanted to help with the grave." Teagan said, but didn't tell him why and was glad when he didn't ask cause she couldn't tell him how it was Kate that was behind Avery being in the hospital and almost dying. She couldn't tell him how satisfying it would feel to know she helped dig the hole of Kate's final resting place.

"You don't have to help. You've helped enough tonight and you are now completely forgiven." Isaac joked.

Teagan nodded her head then said, "Thanks, but I really would like to help with this."

"Ok." Isaac said, as he grabbed her hand and began to walk toward the back of the property where the backhoe was.

Many minutes later, she was sitting in his lap as he showed her how to operate the backhoe to begin digging a hole. They were about done with the hole when something caught his eye off to the side. He told her to stop digging and wrapped an arm around her waist wanting to protect her and keep her in place, as he swung them around to use the light from the backhoe to look into the woods that were surrounding them.

"What is it?" Teagan asked him.

"I-I don't know. I thought I saw something." Isaac answered.

Teagan looked in the direction he was, wondering if he really did see something or if it was just his imagination, although since she knew werewolves existed she worried for a moment if it could be a new werewolf or maybe even Lydia, but thankfully she didn't see anything. She looked over her shoulder at Isaac, planning to tell him she didn't see anything, when suddenly she heard something racing toward them, but before she could do or say anything, something knocked the backhoe over, causing her and Isaac to fall into the hole they had just dug.  
As the backhoe crashed down over the hole to block them in, Isaac grabbed her and pulled her down to the dirty ground as he laid down on top of her to protect her from the broken glass that rained down on of them.

"You ok?" Isaac whispered to her.

"Yeah. How about you?" Teagan whispered back.

Isaac nodded his head to answer then asked, "What was that?"

"I-I don't know." Teagan mumbled, although she had an idea what it could be especially when she heard a growling noise from up above.

"I'm going to check it out. Stay down here ok?" Isaac whispered to her, as he went to stand up.

She grabbed on to his arm and pulled him back down, crossed between terrified and wanting to protect him, as she hissed, "No, stay with me."

"Hey, listen to me. It's going to be ok. I'm not letting anything hurt you." Isaac whispered, as he wiped the scared tears from her face, leaving a trace of dirt across both of her cheeks.

"Isaac..." She begged him, wishing he would stay down with her. She had seen first-hand what a werewolf could do and didn't want to see something like that happen to Isaac.

Isaac slowly stood up and peeked over the edge to see something digging in a grave then he quickly fell back into the hole when they heard a high pitch whimpering noise. He crawled over toward Teagan, using himself to cover her when they heard a loud growl followed by someone picking up the heavy backhoe.

The two teens were breathing heavily as they waited to see what was going to happen next. Teagan glanced up, expecting the worse, then breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Derek. She never thought she would think it, but she was actually glad to see him.

"Need a hand?" Derek asked them.

"Derek, thank God." Teagan breathed out.

"You know him?" Isaac asked, feeling a little jealous.

Teagan nodded her head as she said quietly to Isaac, "He's Avery's boyfriend."

"Oh." Isaac said feeling relieved.

Derek reached out a hand then pulled Teagan up easily when she placed her hand in his, then he reached back in to help Isaac out. Isaac looked over at the backhoe and asked, "How did you lift that? It must weight a ton."

"It wasn't that heavy." Derek said with a shrug.

"Adrenaline." Teagan called out with wide eyes, wanting to keep Isaac from all things werewolves for as long as possible.

"I'm sure it was an adrenaline rush, right?" She added, as she looked over at Derek, hoping he would agree with her.

"Yeah, right, it was an adrenaline rush." Derek agreed, as he nodded his head.  
Isaac nodded his head, accepting the explanation, then asked, "But what the hell was that that knocked us in?"

"Probably some kind of wild animal." Teagan said vaguely.  
Isaac ran a hand over his hair with a sigh as he said, "I've got to call my dad and the police."

He looked over at Teagan then added, "You should probably get out of here before my dad... I mean everyone gets here." The last thing he wanted was Teagan anywhere near his dad.

"Ok, I'll um, I'll see you at school." Teagan said, as she thought about hugging him but felt weird doing it with Derek standing beside them.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." Isaac said, as he watched her turn around and walk away toward the parking lot with Derek following along behind her.  
"Nice guy. A lot nicer than your last one." Derek said. After having Jackson hounding him to be bit he was growing tired of the teenage boy.  
Teagan ignored his comment and kept quiet until she reached her car, then she turned around to face him as she asked, "What was that earlier? Was it Lydia? Is she turning?"

"I don't know." Derek answered honestly, then added, "I don't think so. Whoever it was, it's a new scent."

"A new werewolf?" Teagan asked fearful.

"Maybe." Derek answered, then added, "Either way, you better get home and stay there."

Teagan nodded her head then turned around to open her car door then paused as she turned back around and said, "Hey Derek? Thank you, you know for before, for saving us."

Derek nodded then said, "I told you before, I'm not the bad guy here."

"I know, I'm starting to see that." Teagan said quietly. She might not completely trust him yet, but she was slowly starting to come around.

"I'm also starting to see how much you really love Avery." She added, then said, "And I also see that she really needs you right now. You need to go see her."

Derek looked down at the ground at the mention of her name. He knew he should go see her, he wanted to go see her but he didn't think he could handle seeing the blame in her eyes. It was his fault that she almost died. She was young and still had a lot of life left to live but because he was selfish and couldn't let her go, he almost got her killed.

"I know she comes off as strong and like she doesn't need anyone, but she does need you Derek. Now more than ever." Teagan said, then added, "So get your ass to the hospital now. Everything else can wait until later."

Derek couldn't help but smirk at her take charge attitude. She sounded a lot like Avery when she did that.

"What?" Teagan asked confused, when she saw the look on his face.

"You sound just like her." Derek quietly admitted.

"Yeah, I tend to go all 'Avery' on people sometimes." Teagan said with a laugh, then added, "Now go be with my best friend or I'll drag your werewolf ass there myself."

Derek quietly chuckled as he nodded his head then turned around to walk away.

Leaving Teagan alone in the parking lot. She glanced around for a moment, hoping whatever was in the cemetery tonight wasn't as bad as she was fearing. She wasn't sure how much more drama they all could stand.

**~()~**

Later that night Avery woke up when she heard a thud in the hallway outside of her room.

She sat straight up in the bed, her eyes wide as her mind flashed back to everything she had been through.

As quietly as possible she slid out of the bed and tip-toed barefoot across the cold linoleum floor then she peeked out of her open door into the dimly lit hallway.

She didn't see anyone, no other patients and none of the hospital staff.

Hearing another thud, her breathing grew shallow and she looked around the hallway franticly.

She tried to tell herself that Kate was dead and for the time being she was safe, but she remembered the emotionless look in Kate's eyes when she tortured her.

Swallowing hard, she shut the door to her room as quietly as possible and backed away from the closed door.

Closing her eyes she told herself that she was in a hospital with a lot of other people and it was probably one of the safest places to be.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door, she started to panic and all the fear from the trauma she'd been through came flooding back.

Avery looked around for a makeshift weapon, but the only thing she saw was a pen lying on the bedside table.

She grabbed the pen with her good hand and dropped to the floor, sliding under her bed in an attempt to hide from whatever was approaching her room.

Tears burnt her eyes and she held her breath, when her door opened for a few seconds before it closed again and she could hear the footsteps in the room with her.

Hearing them come to a stop next to the bed a few tears slid down her cheeks. She almost screamed when the bed was pushed over and exposed her hiding place.

"Derek!" She exclaimed with a sigh of relief.

He looked at her tear stained face and he could hear her heart racing from fear.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he leaned down and gently pulled her to her feet.

"I… uh, I dropped my pen." She stuttered out, still trying to catch her breath as she saw the pen she was holding in case she needed a weapon.

"You dropped your pen?" He repeated back to her with raised eyebrows.

She quickly nodded her head and dropped the pen on the floor so she could wipe her eyes with her good hand.

"Avery… Kate's dead, she can't hurt you again." He said as he took a few steps forward.

Nodding she looked at him and said, "Logically, I know that…"

His eyes traveled from her bruised face down to her injured hand and arm; he felt so guilty for what had happened to her.

He'd told himself not too long after he started seeing her that he needed to distance himself to keep her safe, but the more time he spent around her, it became impossible to stay away.

And even knowing it could put her in danger, he didn't want to stay away from her.

Taking another step forward he gently wrapped his arms around her, being careful not to bump her injured arm.

She instantly felt at ease and safe in his arms as she closed her eyes and breathed in the faint scent of his cologne.

So many thoughts filled her head, she wanted to know why he'd chose to become the alpha instead of helping Scott like he'd promised to do.

But afraid that it would start a fight, she decided to keep the questions to herself until another day, and just enjoy being back in his arms and the fact that they were safe. Even if it was just for those few moments.

"After everything that happened, I honestly wasn't sure if you'd want me here." He said quietly.

He blamed himself for what happened and he'd been worried she wouldn't be able to forgive him.

She was so lost in her own thoughts and listening to his heart's steady beat with her ear against his chest that she didn't hear him talking.

"Avery?" He asked after a few moments, when she stayed quiet.

Hearing him say her name brought her attention back to what was going on.

Stepping back out of his arms she said, "Wait, what are you even doing here?"

He looked at her as she stared back at him with her eyebrows pushed together in confusion.

"Uh, I came to see you." He said, a little thrown off by her reaction. He started to think she didn't want him there.

"Why wouldn't I come here?" he finally asked her.

"I just didn't expect you to come and see me here." She responded.

He sighed, this is what he thought would happen; she'd blame him for what happened and not be able to get over it.

"I'm sorry, I never meant for you to get tangled up in any of this." He apologized, his words sincere.

She looked at him confused, "Why do you always think I blame you for things out of your control?"

Getting a little frustrated he said, "I don't know what you want me to do."

She frowned at the irritation in his voice, "Well if you don't want to be here… than just go."

"I wanted to come here." He argued back with her.

"Then what's the problem?" She questioned, starting to feel just as frustrated as he was.

"Apparently that you didn't want me to." He pointed out what he thought she'd been saying.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She whispered yelled at him, not wanting to draw attention to her hospital room.

He rubbed his forehead and his jaw tensed, "I don't understand what you expect, Avery."

"I expect for you to not get yourself arrested." She answered him honestly.

"What?" He asked.

"If someone see's you here and calls the cops, then you'll get arrested. I didn't expect you to risk that by coming here to see me." She said.

"That's what this was all about?" He asked with a small laugh at the misunderstanding.

She nodded.

"Avery, they dropped all the charges… I thought you knew." He said.

"That's great! But, no one tells me these things. I managed to steal a newspaper from the nurses' station earlier today, but then Scott's mom caught me with it before I could read it." She admitted to him.

"They confiscated the paper?" He asked her.

"Some of the doctors and nurses think I'm having some trouble coming to terms with what happened to me, so I'm no allowed to read or watch the news. They're afraid I'll see something over the attack or other bad news and it will trigger some kind of breakdown or something." She said with a shrug.

Walking back up to her he said, "Are you dealing with what happened?"

"Of course. I'm fine, what happened –happened and it's over. I'm okay." She said the same lines she'd been telling people all day.

When she saw the look of disbelief on his face she continued to assure him, "Really, I'm fine."

"You were hiding under your bed clutching a pen." He said.

"I said I dropped the pen." She reminded him.

"And how many times have I said I can hear your heart; you're lying." He argued.

"Can we just pretend for the night that I'm not lying. I don't want to talk anymore about what happened, I just want to forget about it." She admitted, swallowing hard as she spoke.

She breathed out a small sigh of relief when he nodded his head and reluctantly agreed to let it go.

"Thank you." She said softly as she stepped forward and rose up to kiss him.

He held onto her sides as their lips and tongues moved together, there were a few moments over the night where he wasn't sure if she'd survive.

He was so happy she'd lived and he'd promised himself that being an alpha now, he was strong enough that he wouldn't let her get hurt again.

Breaking their kiss, he moved the bed back to where it was supposed to be.

He sat leaned up against the headboard and she curled up to his side and closed her eyes.

Looking down at her, he moved some of her blonde hair from the side of her face and looked at the dark bruises on her cheek.

She let out a small sigh of contentment at his gentle touch.

Breaking the silence of the room he said, "I love you."

She smiled but didn't raise her head as she responded, "I love you to."

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**A/N- Thank you all for reading, hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter.**

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	40. Twice the Heart

**Twice the Heart -Chapter 40**

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_~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~_

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"A!" Teagan exclaimed with a smile as she saw Avery get out of the driver's seat of Derek's car.

"Hey T." Avery said smiling widely at her friend.

"Why are you driving Derek's car?" She asked as she eyed the sleek black Camaro.

"My car is at my uncle's place, not so easy to find parts and repair older cars." Avery reminded her as she pulled her school bag up on her shoulder.

"I know that, I mean he's been taking you to and from school since everything that happened and you not having your car." Teagan explained what she meant.

"I know, but he acted like he was too busy today. I have no clue with what though since he gave me the keys to his car." She said with a shrug.

"He's been keeping a close eye on you since everything that happened." Teagan said.

"Yeah, and it's so weird to actually see him using the front door at my house instead of my window." Avery said with a laugh.

"What?" Teagan asked with a surprised look on her face.

"Sorry T, I must have forgotten to tell you. I've been so busy trying to get my homework all caught up, we've barely had time to talk." Avery said, as she locked the car with the key fob.

"I'm waiting." Teagan said when Avery stopped talking.

"You know how my dad took a week and a half off work? Well, we actually sat down for a dinner one night and he told me that he knows Derek has been living at the house for months now." Avery said.

"Oh my god, what did you say?" Teagan exclaimed her brown eyes wide.

"I told him yeah, Derek has been staying with me." Avery said.

"My dad would have killed me if he found out I had a guy living with me." Teagan said shaking her head.

"I really think my dad is just happy that it's been 1 guy for a while now and not a revolving door of different guys. And anyways, he's just been pretty cool with things lately." Avery admitted, a little shocked herself at her dad's behavior.

"So you guys aren't just confined to your room anymore?" Teagan asked.

"Nope, we have access to the whole house. But it's not too awkward because dad stays in his room and study most of the time, and Derek and I still spend 90% of our time in my room." Avery explained.

Teagan let out a small laugh and shook her head.

"Did you notice anything missing?" Avery asked as they came to a stop outside of her locker in the crowded school hallway.

Teagan looked her over and then her eyes widened, "Your cast! It's gone."

"Yeah, my fingers are still a little sore and feel weaker than normal but the doctor said that's normal and it should go away soon." Avery said smiling.

Teagan smiled happy that Avery now had use of both hands, but her smile fell some when she saw the bandage over her friend's wrist.

Not noticing her friends shift in mood Avery changed books out with some from her locker and said, "I was actually able to fasten my own bra this morning."

"You're a big girl now." Teagan joked, trying to shake the thoughts of everything that Kate had put Avery through.

Avery laughed and then paused as she said, "Plus, it's a lot more fun when Derek is taking my clothes off instead of trying to help me put them on."

"Wow, you're still with him?" Lydia asked as she came to a stop in front of them.

"Yeah." Avery said nodding.

Looking to Teagan, Lydia said, "I think this is her longest relationship."

Teagan nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear; the girls hadn't talked much since Jackson broke up with Lydia to get back with Teagan.

"I'm glad you're back home, safe." Teagan said sincerely.

"I would have been the talk of the school, but someone tried to murder Avery… so she's who everyone is talking about." Lydia said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

After a long pause Lydia said, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, same here. You look great." Avery said offering her a smile.

"I lost 9 pounds!" Lydia exclaimed as she put her hands on her hips and turned from side to side.

Avery and Teagan smiled at her.

"See you girls later." Lydia said as she turned and headed down the hallway.

"That was…" Teagan started to say.

"Awkward." Avery breathed out with a nod.

Brushing the situation off, Teagan said, "I've been spending a lot of time with Isaac, lately."

"How much is a lot?" Avery asked.

"We've been hanging out every day." Teagan said, not able to stop the smile that spread over her lips.

"Yay!" Avery exclaimed as she excitedly clapped her hands.

"He's so great, A. He's funny and sweet and I love spending time with him. I… I actually get butterflies with him. I never thought another guy could make me feel like that." Teagan said.

"Isn't it weird? We're friends with people like Stiles and Isaac this year? Last year I wouldn't have paid any attention to either of them." Avery said nodding.

"I never noticed either of them before I moved." Teagan sad nodding.

"Have you kissed him yet?" Avery asked looking to her best friend.

"No, we've been hanging out and he's been flirting but we're hanging out as friends." She answered with a small sigh.

"But you want to date him, right?" Avery pushed.

Teagan blushed as she looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it." Avery said as she turned to leave, but Teagan grabbed her arm.

"What?" she asked her eyes wide.

"I'm just going to help give him the confidence he needs to ask you out." Avery said innocently.

"No! A, please don't interfere with this. If he's going to ask me out, I want it to be because it's really what he wants… not because you intimidated him into it." Teagan explained.

"Okay, but… if I see him I may drop a few hints. Subtly." Avery tried to assure her.

"Avery, I don't even think you could be subtle if you tried." Teagan said and then added, "And anyways Isaac isn't here today. I got here early because he's always here before school starts, but I couldn't find him."

"Maybe he's sick?" Avery asked.

"I don't know, I tried to call him a few times but he didn't answer. He also hasn't responded to any of my texts." Teagan added with a small frown.

"I'm sure everything's fine." Avery assured her.

Their conversation was interrupted by a roar of laughter from down the hallway, the girls looked to see Jackson talking to several members of the lacrosse team.

"Jackson's been… weird lately." Teagan thought out loud.

"Cockier than usual." Avery said nodding.

Neither of the girls knew that Derek had bitten Jackson.

"I'd better get to class." Teagan finally said as she pulled her eyes away from Jackson who was being the center of attention in his group of friends.

"Same here, see you at lunch." Avery said.

Teagan watched as her best friend headed down the hallway and met up with Stiles outside of the chemistry room.

When she turned back around to go the opposite direction to get to her first class she passed Jackson who nodded and gave her his signature smile.

Teagan frowned at the look in his eyes, he had an expression on his face like he knew something she didn't.

Giving a confused look, Teagan managed a small smile and nodded back.

**~()~**

Avery marked down her answers on her chemistry test when she heard some whispering behind her.

She glanced over at Stiles who was busily scribbling his answers down like the test was a race.

Hearing a commotion, she looked over her shoulder and saw Jackson cover his face as he ran from the room.

"Danny!" she whispered.

He looked up at her with a concerned look on his face.

"What happened?" Avery whispered.

"Nose bleed." He silently mouthed before shrugging and looking down to his paper when Mr. Harris looked towards the back of the class room.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked quietly as he saw Avery holding her phone down by her leg as she texted Teagan.

"Can you distract Harris?" Avery whispered.

"What? Why?" He asked her.

"I need to sneak out of the room and meet Teagan." Avery admitted to him.

He sighed.

"Please?" She asked, her light brown eyes locked with his and he couldn't say no.

"Yeah." He said.

"Thank you." She said smiling at him.

Stiles headed up to the front of the room to distract the teacher and Avery quickly slid off the stool and slipped out the open classroom door.

"Hey." Teagan said as she quickened her pace and met up with her friend.

"Hey." Avery said looking down to the bathroom pass in Teagan's hand.

"So, a nose bleed?" Teagan asked, her forehead lined with concern.

"That's what Danny said, but I don't know T… you're right he's been acting strange and something just isn't right." Avery said.

The pair walked in silence as they rounded a corner.

Avery saw Derek walking the opposite direction.

After Avery rushed off to talk to Derek, Teagan walked over toward the men's restroom that was closest to the classroom Jackson had ran out of, figuring that was the one he had went to, she cautiously walked inside, unsure of what she was going to see inside the room.

Once inside, she saw Jackson standing in front of the mirror, his hands resting on the sides of the sink as he stared at himself in the mirror. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that it appeared to look like he was ok, but she still wanted to make sure.

She took a few steps toward him as she softly called out his name. She lowered her eyebrows in surprise when he didn't answer; it was like he was in a daze as he continued to look at himself in the mirror.

She walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder as she called out his name again, causing him to spin around with wide eyes as he gasped out in fear.  
He took a deep breath to control his racing heart then blinked his eyes and looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, as he said, "Teagan? What are you doing in here?"

"Avery texted me. She said you rushed out of class cause of a nose bleed. Are you ok?" Teagan asked with a concerned expression on her face.

Jackson turned his head and scoffed at her concern. He didn't need her pity, he needed the bite to work.

He needed to be a werewolf so he can get back everything he has lost. His lacrosse team, his captain status and her. He wasn't going to just stand around while McCall took his team and Lahey took his girl, he wasn't going to stop until everything was back to the way it should be.

"I'm fine." Jackson said as he went to walk pass her. She reached out to lightly grab his arm to stop him, but he pulled his arm away and snapped, "I said I was fine."

Teagan flinched at his tone then said, "Jackson, don't do this."

"Do what?" Jackson asked with a annoyed sigh.

"Push me away." Teagan answered, then added, "We're friends, remember?"

Jackson nodded his head then said, "Yeah, well, maybe I don't need a friend right now."

"Then what do you need?" Teagan asked him.

He smirked as he took a few steps toward her causing her to back up into the sink. He rested his hands on the side of the sink like before, then leaned forward until his face was only inches from hers. He saw her breathing pick up and could have sworn he faintly heard her heart racing in her chest.

He glanced down at her parted lips and held back a groan when he saw her nervously lick her lips. He had her right where he wanted her and now it was time to leave her wanting more.

Jackson looked up into her eyes then said, "I need to get back to class. I got a test to take."

"W-What?" Teagan breathed out, feeling very confused from his quick mood changes.

"Have a nice day Teagan." Jackson said, his trademark smirk on his face as he turned around and walked out of the restroom.

Teagan took a deep breath then took a few steps from the sink, wondering what in the world just happened. One minute he looked scared, then the next he was being a jerk and pushing her away, then he was coming on to her and now he just left the room.

She glanced around the room as she slowly released the breath she had been holding then began to walk toward the door her mind spinning as she wondered what was up with Jackson.

**~()~**

"Derek!" She called.

He kept walking.

Without another word to Teagan, Avery sped up towards Derek, "Derek!" She called again.

Finally he stopped walking and turned to face her.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

"Nothing, why?" He asked.

He didn't want her to know that he'd been trying to build his own pack.

He'd been at the school to keep an eye on Jackson and now knew that for some reason Jackson's body was rejecting the bite.

"You're at my school…" she reminded him.

"I know. I came to get my keys, I need my car." He lied.

"Oh…" She started to say but the bell rang for the end of class.

"The keys are in my locker." She said as she nodded for him to follow her.

He glanced around at the other students leaving their classrooms as she led him over to where her locker was.

"Where are you going?" she questioned.

"I just have a few things I need to do." He answered vaguely.

She frowned, she was starting to think he was hiding something from her.

Once they reached her locker she opened it as she said, "Do I need to ask Stiles to take me home after school?"

"No, I'll pick you up. Why?" He asked her.

"In case your vague answers and top secret errands were going to leave me at school without a way home." She said as she grabbed his keys off the top shelf in her locker.

"It's not top secret, I just need to get some things for the new place." He said quietly as he looked around them.

"You can't call it a new place. Didn't you tell me it was an abandoned subway car thing?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"It is a new place, new to me." He argued.

"Why do you even need a new place? You're still living with me." She pointed out.

"Our town is full of hunters, I have to have somewhere to hide so I don't lead them back to you." He said.

It was the truth, he was worried about other hunters using her against him. But he also needed the new space to train his growing pack.

Handing him his keys she said, "So you'll show me after school, right?"

"Show you what?" He asked, looking around the hallway again.

"You're supposed new place? You said you'd show me." She reminded him of an earlier conversation.

"Uh, yeah… I'll show you tonight." He said as he tucked his keys in his pocket.

He was distracted by trying to figure out what Jackson was and why his body was rejecting the bite.

"Gotta go." He said as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Not caring that they were in a crowded hallway, she grabbed onto the sides of his open leather jacket and pulled him closer.

She smiled against his parted lips when she felt his grip tighten on her hips, as she deepened their passionate kiss.

Stiles sighed with irritation as a guy bumped him walking in the opposite direction.

Glancing up he saw Avery at her locker.

"Hey, I don't think Harris noticed you were gone. I turned your test in and I… get to watch you make out with Derek." He groaned as he walked up to them, and saw them tangled up in each other's arms.

Breaking the kiss she took a step back and looked over at Stiles who tried not to look disappointed or hurt.

"You're carrying my purse?" She asked with a smile as she saw her purse on the top of the stack of books in his arms.

"You left it in the classroom." He pointed out.

Derek glanced at Avery as she smiled widely at Stiles, he sighed heavily when he heard Stiles' heart start to beat faster.

"Thank you." She said as she reached out and grabbed her purse before she took her books from his arms.

Derek could hear Stiles' breathing change and his heart race even faster when her skin brushed against his.

He wasn't worried he knew Avery just looked at Stiles as a friend, but it was irritating for him to hear the effect her presence or touch had on him.

It was obvious by his reaction exactly what he was thinking about when she was around him.

"I gotta get to class." She said as she looked at Derek, who looked between them.

"I'll pick you up after school." He restated.

"Okay." She said smiling as she turned and walked away with Stiles.

Avery glanced up and saw a few people looking at her; it was the same type of looks she always got when she was with Derek.

A lot of people in town still believed that he was a murder, and someone had even started a rumor that it was Derek who tried to kill her.

But she didn't let any of it bother her, she loved him and wasn't ashamed of him or their relationship.

"Is everything okay?" Stiles asked her.

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Derek was gone from the hallway she said, "Yeah, it's just…"

Her voice trailed off, she had the feeling Derek wasn't being entirely honest with her.

"It's just what?" Stiles asked as they walked into the class room.

She sat down in her desk and he sat down in the desk beside her.

"It's nothing. I'm sure it's nothing." She brushed it off.

Things had been so great with Derek and she was afraid if she voiced any concern it might jinx something.

"You sure?" He asked.

She nodded and looked up smiling at Teagan as she walked over and sat her books down on the desk Stiles was sitting in.

"Hey Teagan." He greeted giving her a friendly smile before looking back to Avery worried about her.

"Is Jackson okay?" Avery asked.

"Yeah, he just had a nose bleed. He's still acting kind of weird though." Teagan said, not going into detail.

"Why was Derek here?" Teagan questioned.

"Just needed his car keys." Avery said, as the final bell rang.

The teacher shut the door to the classroom.

Looking over at Stiles, Avery said, "Thanks again for getting my things."

"Yeah, you're welcome." He said smiling at her.

Avery looked up at Teagan.

Looking around her to where the teacher was Stiles said, "You should probably sit down before you get in trouble."

Teagan looked around the room, "I can't." She said.

"Why?" Stiles asked.

"Because you're in her seat." Avery said with a laugh.

Stiles looked around the room, his eyes widening as he did. Not only was he in the wrong seat, he was also in the wrong class.

He quickly gathered his books and rushed out of the classroom and to his next class.

Teagan sat down and looked over at Avery as both girls laughed.

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**A/N- Thank you all so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

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